The VC Expert's Buzz
The Venture Manifesto
by Simon Witney, Partner, SJ Berwin, 1/6/2009
A Note to our readers
December 30, 2008 marks the fourth day of Israel's punishing air attacks on Gaza. Palestinian officials claim that more than 370 people have been killed since Saturday.
According to some sources, Israel is considering a 48-hour cease-fire that would also require Hamas to stop its rocket fire. However, Israeli officials speak of a continuing and expanding military operation, and Hamas vow to step up its resistance. The U.N. announced Tuesday that four governments involved in Middle East peace talks called for an immediate cease-fire: the United States, the U.N., the European Union and Russia.
We at VCExperts would like to expression our hopes for a peaceful resolution to this conflict.
Sometimes the facts just speak for themselves. In the Venture Manifesto recently released by the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA), the BVCA puts forth some pretty compelling evidence for the government to make changes that would improve the availability of venture capital in the UK.
As pointed out by the BVCA in the manifesto, studies looking over a period of some ten years show that exports in venture-backed companies grew by 14% a year, compared with a national average of 4%. Employment in venture-backed firms increased by 6% compared to a national rise of 1%, and many of those were highly-skilled scientists and entrepreneurs. Overall, 91% of venture-backed companies say that venture capital was responsible for the existence and survival of their businesses and allowed them to grow more rapidly.
In this week's Buzz article, Simon Witney, Partner at SJ Berwin, a leading pan-European law firm, shares with us some of the important points made in the Venture Manifesto.
Read more in this week's buzz: The Venture Manifesto.
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