Great products and companies are founded and backed by great early-stage venture capital managers at times that may not correlate with broader financial market trends. Startup success is more dependent on factors specific to company founders and the VC investors who partner with them, including:

• the quality of the founding team
• the underlying fundamentals of its business, and
• the value-enhancing capabilities of its VC investors, who can maximize ownership and influence at company formation

How does an investor harness and potentially monetize the value created by founders and early-stage VC investors? We believe by manager selection, specifically the critical importance of:

• Differentiated access to managers we believe to be top tier
• Strong sourcing capabilities
• Deep due diligence
• Diversification by number of venture relationships

Investors who pause venture programs in a current challenging exit environment can miss opportunities for exposure to the innovation that early-stage venture managers are skilled at finding and harnessing.

Note: This webinar is based on the white paper, “Capturing Venture Innovation Across Market Cycles“, published February 28, 2024.