Lucy P. Marcus: A Perfect Storm: Global Shifts in Venture Capital and Science Funding. A potentially unprecedented change in venture capital and in the funding of the science sector is on the cards as a consequence of today's economic climate and the austerity measures that are being introduced by many governments around the world, including the G7.
Partly a consequence of the global financial crisis, this period of simultaneous change has additional consequences in the manner in which funding in the science sector and venture capital interact with, and affect, one another. These changes have created a perfect storm. The science sector The whole spectrum of sciences, including vitally important areas such as cleantech, life sciences and biotech, and engineering, is facing extreme upheaval, particularly related to the funding of scientific research.
At the same time, scientific advancement has been very rapid, and tremendous progress has been made in all areas of science. The venture capital funding environment The consequences of a troubled relationship. Christine. Why VCs don’t invest in women led startups – my perspective. I just noticed lots of tweets citing me as an example of VCs investing in women led startups, and felt that I had to speak up about the issue.
First of all, some VCs do invest in women led startups and don’t distinguish between women and men leaders. The VCs who funded SlideShare for example. Venrock has a history of funding women. Specifically, for David Siminoff and Dev Khare who funded SlideShare – a woman leading the company was never an issue. David Siminoff has funded other women as well, e.g., Lisa Stone from Blogher (I knew about that when I met him, and it did influence my going with Venrock).
So note to women entrepreneurs – there are VCs out there who will fund you. In looking for funding for SlideShare, there were a few VCs who I knew after one meeting – that they would never fund a woman. This is something I know through my psychology background as well – men and women can have different leadership styles. Women Entrepreneurs: there are VCs out there who do fund women. Girls Rule! Astia Rewards VCs that Foster Women’s Entrepreneurship. The following is a reprint of a November 20, 2010 press release from Astia , which is an organization dedicated to fostering women’s entrepreneurship in many forms. They recently gave awards to several venture capital firms for their own efforts to sponsor female-led corporations and innovations, which I thought was worth passing on. I wish I saw more female-led companies in my daily travels. In theory there are definitely more women executives in the healthcare field than there are in many others, but in practice it is rare to see them at the helm.
Hopefully this will continue to change with the work of Astia and others like them, as well as the actions of the venture capital community, at least the enlightened few. Your Next CEO? I know that when many of my colleagues interview a potential CEO candidate, a very common interview question is “what did your dad do for a living?”
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 30, 2010 – PRESS RELEASE {*style:<i> </i>*} {*style:<b>Eghosa Omoigui. Independent Directors Need to Step Up or Step Off - Lucy P. Marcus. By Lucy P.
Marcus | 9:29 AM July 19, 2011 News Corp. independent board member Thomas Perkins (79), a director since 1996, said this on July 18: “I have a lot of faith in Rupert Murdoch. He’s a great guy, he’s a friend of mine. He’s a genius. And I know he’s devastated by this. News Corporation and the actions — or as some would note, the inactions — of its board highlight several important directions in the way that boardrooms need to be, and indeed are, moving.
Change is coming, and it is up to us as non-executive independent board directors sitting in board rooms all over the world to lead, follow, or get out of the way. Independence When we agree to serve as a non-executive board members we need to be willing to do what is necessary to be truly independent in name and deed. Transparency The landscape of board service is changing. Asking the right questions, and asking them all We need to hold ourselves and those around us accountable for behavior in the boardroom.