NAFTA and Venture Capital

The VC market in North America has played a role in Free Trade. In many cases these two not only co-exist, but complement one another. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been instrumental in terms of economic growth for North America. Efraim Landa and other venture capitalists need a strong economic platform from which to operate and the NAFTA has been beneficial for helping provide it.

What is NAFTA?

The North American Free Trade Agreement was implemented in January of 1994. It is an agreement between North American countries to eliminate most of the tariffs on trades made between the nations. Following the agreement, the United States, Canada and Mexico began to phase out tariffs. The purpose of the NAFTA was to encourage economic activity between the three North American nations.

The VC Market and Europe

The Euro is the backbone of the European market and Greece has discussed dropping it altogether. What would happen to the economy should Greece opt out of their financial markets? How would this influence the VC market? Greece has a favorable position in the European VC rankings and is performing better than most. Right now there is a good balance between taxes and investors both private equity and venture capitalists. The VC market has been thriving in the European financial environment and overall the market has been ripe for investors. The trends seem to point to favorable outcomes and many more opportunities for the venture capitalists to invest in the future. But if Greece pulls out, it could make for a rocky road in the EU.

The State of Venture Capital Markets in Europe

Venture Capital Markets in Europe

While the U.S. venture capital market is showing growth and promise this year, it should also be noted that the European market is at the highest its been in last four years. Venture capitalists are committing to more start-ups and offering more money than ever before. In fact, the increase isn’t just coming from within; even U.S. venture capitalists are increasing their spending on European start-ups. Both scenarios are helping to boost the economy.

Although roughly 3,000 start-ups throughout Europe receive funds from venture capitalists and that number is expected to rise this year at a slow and steady pace, the U.S. market is still significantly higher. Currently, it is Germany, France and the United Kingdom that are dominating the market. Combined, the three powerhouses make up for half of the venture capital deals made throughout all of Europe.

The State of the World Economy

World Economy

The global economy is essentially dependent on the growth of the U.S. It is a force in the world economy because for the first time in 10 years, the country. is experiencing a higher level of economic growth. America has basically been struggling since 2005, with high gas prices, high unemployment rates and consumer who were scared to part with their money. What may play out well for the U.S. is the fact that the country relies very little on exports, when compared to other countries. Yet many countries depend on the success of economic growth in the U.S.

The VC Market in Norway

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Startups in Norway whose business is not related to the oil-and-gas industry struggle, The Wall Street Journal reported–that industry sucked up nearly a third of the venture capital that Norway attracted last year.

With a population of less than five million people, Norway isn’t large enough to support a tech startup, which needs to be global, but that’s not the Scandinavian attitude,  It goes slowly turning over one stone at a time. For those who follow Europe’s tech scene, naming startups from the Nordic/Baltic region wouldn’t be too hard.

VC Trends in Former Soviet Republics

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Venture Capital in the Central Asia group is mainly designed to share knowledge and opinion about this area of finance. Major concentration of VC is given to the developments of this area in Central Asia, especially in Uzbekistan. Venture capitalists, like Efraim Landa, business angels and private equity investors all around the world seeking opportunities in Central Asia are welcome.  VC activity in the Russian market really took off after Russia’s default on sovereign debt in 1998 and has accelerated ever since. With this, we’ve seen more attention from leading western venture capital firms as well who have created a number of investment funds, incubators and angel networks focused on the Russian market. In the recent past, specifically since 2006, the Russian government has been creating infrastructure for venture capital investments in Russia and has also launched a state program focused on establishing public-private partnerships in the innovation sector managed by a number of leading venture capital firms. 

VC Trends in the Middle East

Over the last decade, the state of venture capital in the Middle East has gone from virtually nonexistent to an industry facing a shakeout. The sector’s breakneck evolution has made it difficult for investors and venture capitalists like Efraim Landa, to obtain a clear picture of the industry’s underlying VC fundamentals in the Middle East. This being the case, they have been understandably cautious about directing their funds to regional venture capital firms. To meet these expectations, the richest countries are investing billions in large-scale projects that will need to be supplemented by private funding and that will directly and indirectly stimulate economic activity.

Health of Venture Capital in Asia

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The U.S. venture capital industry is at a crossroads. Market over-saturation has led to inflated valuations and poor investment outcomes. To tackle this problem, venture capitalists, like Efraim Landa, have increasingly searched for VC markets outside of the U.S. In this respect, China and India loom large. In China though, new VC’s are threatened with regulatory laxity, while unreliable infrastructure plagues Indian investments. Many have overlooked the investment ecosystems of Southeast Asia and a resurgent Japan.

The VC Market in Hungary

 

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Efraim Landa is an experienced and successful venture capitalist. It is important to realize that a VC firm not only invests monetarily into a company in order to see it succeed, but it also invests time and experience. The goal of the venture capitalist is to provide what is needed for the company to become successful and mature. VC funding is typically aimed at providing what is needed for an early stage company who needs to get started or an established company that has reached a point where they need to make expansions but lack the funding. The venture capitalist invests in the company with the expectation that the company will reach a state where they can make a public offering or sell its shares. Sometimes the VC firm will sell off their shares once the company reaches maturity and become profitable. Exits are a large part of the VC industry. A venture capitalist is interested in a company which displays the potential of making rapid growth in the future. As a general rule a venture capitalist prefers to invest in entrepreneurial businesses and ones which demonstrate innovative thinking and aspirations for growth. Regions around the world have thriving VC sectors which help provide fuel for growing and thriving economies.

The VC Market in Austria

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Venture Capital is a way to privately fund either a risky new business or a speculative business venture that has a very high potential for growth. It is typical for a venture capitalist like Efraim Landa to provide funding for the growth of a business in exchange for equity in the company. The VC firm is typically structured as a partnership and they are usually very selective when deciding what types of business ventures to invest in. In order for a venture capitalist to invest funds and time into a business the company will need to have innovative technology, the potential for growth, a very well developed business model and excellent management in place. Venture capital may be provided for an early startup business, expansion or development for a growing business or for restructuring and acquisitions.