Can Venture Capital (VC) help unlock the ‘cleantech’ potential? After all, with the Paris agreement and the SDG 2030 goals we are in a decisive decade. Cleantech is an umbrella term used to denote a variety of sectors and technologies. Some specific technologies and sectors may fit the traditional venture…

Enabling Venture Capital investments and economic activity through upstream R&D funding Venture Capital (VC) investments are a small portion of the gross domestic product (0.3%) but can catalyze downstream investment activity. They generate employment and innovation in an economy as well. VC bets are placed in start-ups and assume significant…

Note: This article is based on the work I did in 2013–14. Therefore some conclusions and observations may not apply today. Venture fund raising dipped down significantly in Finland during the recession years, as it did in other Nordic countries. Despite the overall activity plummeted there was a stable infusion…

Note: This article is based on the work I did in 2013–14. Therefore some conclusions and observations may not apply today. As is the trend in other NORDIC countries the venture fund raise did experience a dip down to EUR 14.3 million in 2009, in Norway, from being over 400…

Note: Reproducing the article I wrote for China Water Risk in 2015. With a urban slum population of 523mn & still growing, the need for basic infrastructure in Asia’s cities is rising Cities need to be circular; using 3% of land they produce: 50% of waste, 80% of GDP &…

Note: This article is based on the work I did in 2013–14. Therefore some conclusions and observations may not apply today. Early stage funding in Denmark Denmark witnessed a sharp decrease in the total venture funds raised from 2007 to 2012. In 2007, a total of EUR 550.5 million of…

Note: This article is based on the work I did in 2013–14. Therefore some conclusions and observations may not apply today. Early stage funding in Sweden Perusing the data from European Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (EVCA), one can observe that there has been a considerable dip in over…

Note: This article is based on the work I carried out in 2013–14 but the principles still apply. Government playing the role of a VC investor may seem strange. Should it compete against other private players? Do public agencies have apt resources & skills to get in investors shoes? What…