Beyond Vanilla VC: Tough Times Demand Clever Measures

A panel at Windhover's recent START-UP Forum made plain that venture capital is not an area--for all its interest in investing in innovation--which takes easily to innovation in its own business model. Panelists discussed some unusual approaches to financing and dealmaking--such as PIPEs (private investments in public equity) and the unique difficulties they bring. Investors are forming syndicates and becoming increasingly cautious; attaching strings to money in ways not deemed necessary before. In difficult and uncertain times like these, it's clear that investors need patience and fortitude, perhaps more than creativity.