As improbable as it seems now, there was a time in the recent past when Silicon Valley’s visionary venture capitalists lacked the foresight to invest in China and India. In this robust analysis of the globalization of the venture capital industry, Terrance Philips and Jame DiBiasio run through the history of VC and the sector’s successes, foibles and adventures. The authors take readers on an enlightening around-the-world tour of where VC has gained new ground, particularly in places like Taiwan, Israel and Japan.
Venture capital is expanding around the world.
The concept of venture capital (VC) as an economic driver was born in Silicon Valley, with dramatic results. Tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google and Netflix, along with smaller innovative companies like Zoom, have emerged as products of VC and heroes of the modern economy. Other nations are looking to the VC success story and trying to create their own innovation ecosystems. VC has been a tool for enabling fast-growing companies to succeed, thereby unlocking value and driving overall economic growth. Now the sector is globalizing: China and India have embraced the VC model. Taiwan, Israel and other nations with innovation economies have also gravitated toward VC. But Japan, mired in a long economic malaise, never mastered the VC concept.
Chinese tech giant Baidu is one example of the VC model driving big results outside Silicon Valley. Baidu launched when China’s internet sector was young, and the firm’s returns have been massive. Baidu operates the globe’s No. 2 search engine, trailing only Google, and Baidu also is an innovator in autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence. Co-founder Robin Li ...
Terrance Philips was a senior banker at Silicon Valley Bank for more than a decade. He helped build its international businesses. Jame DiBiasio is a writer and journalist, based in Hong Kong, who has founded various financial trade publications in the region.
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