Venture Capital is Selectively Being Put to Work Again

Published:11/18/2020 | Posted by

In recent months, I’ve reconnected with a broad range of contacts across Venture Capital backed, tech driven organizations with both consumer and enterprise facing business models.  It’s clear that an interesting assortment of companies have fared well, and in some cases dramatically grown YTD.

It’s evident that 4Q, 2020 is bringing the deployment of both initial rounds of financing, as well as add on rounds.  Specifically, this translates to A through C rounds of venture funding that will allow for structural improvements across operations to support further growth and profitability initiatives.  Along with marketing, product and tech infrastructure investments, this capital will be allocated to adding impactful senior leaders to steward the organizations forward.

It is always instructive to watch not only the direction of capital, but also its timing.  The money being put to work now in both consumer facing business models including eCommerce, notably marketplace models, and enterprising ones broadly across the SaaS ecosystem including fintech, insuretech, data analysis and visualization and ERP are positive signs underscoring broad based tech industry resilience and growth.

In addition to buying signs from institutional investors, we are seeing overall volumes of searches up to, and in many cases above, the same level at this point last year. There is a sense of a new (albeit constantly in flux) normal in which many of our corporate clients are stepping in to add high impact members to their executive teams. We are seeing this broadly across functional areas, with technology, finance, sales and marketing leadership taking special precedent.  This trend will make 2021 a critical year to acquire specialized and high-level executives with a track-record of innovative solutions.

Here’s to the smart money calling the upturn!