Linda Gridley, president and CEO, Gridley & Co., said the world is coming into the new normal, which isn't so bad because as a New Yorker she can now more easily flag down a cab. Gridley led the
panel Startups and Solvency - Who gets to Survive?
So, what does that mean for venture capital funding?
Well, Gridley would like to take the industry back to 2007, which was the peak
year for raising VC funds. About $35 billion got invested into companies. Investment began to decline in 2008. This year, about 92% of VC predict a slow down in investments, and 33% don't expect the
IPO market to return until 2010 or beyond.
Richard de Silva, general partner, Highland Capital Partners, is optimistic the industry is coming out of a "frothy market" and the ability to build
is coming back. "We will see an environment similar to 2003, but the question is whether the rebound will come in one year or three," he said. de Silva remains said in the dot-com boom advertisers
were wiped-out because the industry was new, but today online advertising is more developed with larger budgets.