17 Oct 2014
Europe needs more entrepreneurs to reinvest the capital they earn from exits into new start-ups. Their experience of turning an idea into a world-class business will feed the venture capital ecosystem on the continent, and will help create the next wave of innovative companies to draw investors and buyers from around the world.
When I attend the Invest Europe Venture Capital Forum in Berlin next month, I will be discussing with colleagues the next stage of development for venture capital in Europe. There will be a lot to consider about recent exits and what the industry can learn from those experiences.
In the last month, we have seen the initial public offerings of online shoe retailer Zalando and technology incubator platform Rocket Internet. The shares have had a tricky few weeks in a volatile market. But it is early days, and the evidence shows that venture capital backed companies perform strongly over the longer term. The exits are a positive sign of innovation at work and should lift the profile of the venture capital culture in Europe. There is no shortage of new ideas, and there is capital in the hands of funds, high net worth investors and corporate groups to develop those concepts.
What we need to do now is to incentivise successful business founders, who have taken a company from concept to exit, to create and back new companies. In doing so, we will see a “generational” leap in both knowledge and capital coming into the industry.
Above all, encouraging entrepreneurs to reinvest in new projects will ensure that experience and skills are not lost. This will lead to a stronger ecosystem that can generate more successful companies while proving to investors at all stages in the lifecycle that European venture capital is a force for innovation and growth over the long term. Join me to debate how we prepare the industry for the future at Invest Europe Venture Capital Forum in Berlin on 6 November 2014.
Dr. Michael Brandkamp, Managing Director, High-Tech Gründerfonds
You can accept or refuse cookies. Accepting cookies is usually the best way to make sure you get the best from a website.
Most PCs automatically accept them but you can change your browser settings to restrict, block or delete cookies if you want. Each browser is different, so check the 'Help' menu of your particular browser (or your mobile phone's handset manual) to learn how to change your cookie preferences. Many browsers have universal privacy settings for you to choose from.
How to manage cookies in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in most versions of Internet Explorer can be found by clicking the tools option and then the privacy tab.
How to manage cookies in Firefox
Cookie settings in Firefox are managed in the Options window's Privacy panel. See Options window - Privacy Panel for information on these settings.
How to manage cookies in Chrome
Click on the spanner icon on the toolbar, select settings, click the under the bonnet tab, click on content settings in the privacy section.
How to manage cookies in Opera
You can manage cookies in Opera if you Click on settings, then Preferences, then Advanced and finally Cookies
How to manage cookies in Safari
Choose Safari, then preferences and then click security. You should then be able to specify if and when Safari should accept cookies.
To manage cookies on your mobile phone please consult your manual or handbook.
Get more help about how cookies work with specific browsers.
If you decline cookies, some aspects of Invest Europe site may not work on your computer or mobile phone and you may not be able to access areas you want on the website. For this reason we recommend that you accept cookies.
If you delete all your cookies you will have to update your preferences with us again and some aspects of our site may not work.
If you use a different device, computer profile or browser you will have to tell us your preferences again.
If you'd like to learn more about cookies in general and how to manage them, visit aboutcookies.org.
We can't be responsible for the content of external websites.
Opt-out of cookiesThis is for members only. To view in full login or join Invest Europe today.
Find out more