Ventire Capital And High Teciinology Entrepreneurship Richard Florida

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VENTI]RE CAPITAL
AND HIGH TECIINOLOGY
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
RICHARD FLORIDA
Carnegie Mellon University
MARTIN KENNEY
Ohio State University
Venture capital clearly plays an important role in high technology entre-
preneurship. The purpose of this article is to explain the differences among
various venture capital complexes
focusing
on where venture capital is
important ta innovation and entrepreneurship and conversely where it is
not. We do so through an empirical and historical examination of the seven
most important venture capito.l complexes: California (San Franciscol
Siliccrn Valley), Massachusetts (Boston), New York, Illinois (Chicago), Texas, Connecticut, and Min-
nesota (Minneapolis).
We establish a three-part tripartite typology
for
explaining the differences between these venture
capital complexes: I) technology-oriented complexes are located close to concentrations of high
technology intensive businesses, invest most of their
funds
locally, and are net attractors of capital;
2)finance-oriented complexes are located aroundfinancial institutions and export their capital; and
3) hybrid complexes mix characteristics of both technology andfinance-oriented venturing.
Our
findings
have a series of important practical implications. Although venture capital is not
absolutely necessary to
lacilirate
high technology entepreneurship, well-developed venture capitaL
networks provide tremendous incentives
for
entrepreneurship by lowering the dfficulties of entering
an industry. Venture capitalists use both their experience and their contacts to reduce many of the
information and opportunity costs associated with new business
formation.
The importance of contact
networks and information to both dealflow and investment monitoring goes a low way toward explaining
why venture capitalists cluster tightly together. The availability of venture capital also attracts entre-
preneurs and high quality personnel to a region creating a virtuous circle of new enterprise
formation,
innovation, and economic development.
We gratefully acknowledge financial assistance provided by the Economic Development Administration,
Ohio State University Urban Affairs Committee 4nd the Ohio Board of Regents. Thanks are due Harvey Brooks,
Cordon Clark, Sam Cole, Marshall Feldman, Bennett Harrison, Ian MacMillan, and three anonymous reviewers
for their comments and assistance.
Address correspondence to Professor Richard Florida, School of Urban and Public Affairs, Carnegie Mellon
University, Pittsburgh, PA t5213.
Joumal of Business Venturing 3, 301-319 0883-9026/88/$3 50
@ 1988 Elsevier Science Publishing Co , Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010
301
342 R. L. FLoRTDA AND M KENNEY
Private, nonproft, and subsidized public efforts aimed at providing venture capital and stim-
ulating high technology entrepreneurship must confront the
fact
that venture capital alone will not
magically generate enftepreneurship and economic development. It is important that such efforts
recognize the nonfinancial side of venture investing and attract experienced personnel who can tap
into established entrepreneurial nenvorks and secure coinvestors. More significantly, establishing
public venture
funding
in an area lacking the requisite entrepreneurial climate or technology infra-
structu'ie ma/- crea.te a "catch 22" situation where locally orientedfunds invest in bad deals or where
venture capital is simply exported to established high technology regions.
INTRODUCTIONl
There is little doubt that venture capital plays a critical role in high technology entepreneurship
and economic change. Clearly, the vibrance and rapid growth of California's Silicon Valley
and Boston-Route 128 area owe much to the significant amounts of venture capital available
there. The success stories of high flying start-ups like Fairchild, Intel, Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC), Apple Computer, Cray Computer, Sun Microsystems, Genentech, and
countless others stand in sharp contrast to the stagnation and decline found in older man-
ufacturing sectors. Thus, it is not surprising that both private and public sector actors have
become enamored with venture capital as a mechanism for incubating technology businesses
and generating economic growth.
Despite its importance in premier high technology regions, the availability of venture
capital does not necessarily translate into high technology entrepreneurship. Two of the
nation's foremost locations of venture capital, New York and Chicago, are quite laggard in
terms of new business formation, innovation, and technology-based growth. These areas
serve simply to collect venture capital which they then export to a variety of locations.
The way that venture capital complexes arise and how they effect high technology
entrepreneurship are the major themes of this paper. We explore the origins and evolution
of seven important venture capital complexes and suggest a three part typology for under-
standing them.2 Technology-oriented complexes, such as San Francisco/Silicon Valley, are
located around concentrations of technology irrtensive businesses, assume a local investment
focus, and attract significant amounts of outside capital. Finance-based complexes, Iike New
York and Chicago, are located in areas where financial institutions are highly concentrated,
contain a high proportion of venture capital subsidiaries of financial colporations, and are
export-oriented. Hybrids mix characteristics of both financial and technology-oriented ven-
turing. This does not imply, however, that all hybrids are alike. Boston, Minneapolis, Texas,
'We
wculd like to acknowledge the information and assistance provided by the following venture capitalists
in the Midwest, northern Califomia and Boston. David Morgenthaler and Charles James, who are headquartered
in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio respectively, gave us an invaluable assistance in launching our research. Venture
capitalists we interviewed in northern Califomia include: David Arscott, James Balderston, Frank Chambers,
William Chandler, Thomas Davis, Wallace Davis, Reid Dennis, John Dougery, William Edwards, Mary Jane
Elmore, Frankiin Johnson, Eugene Kleiner, Bu(on McMurtry, Steve Menill, Arthur Rock, Peter Roshko, Craig
Taylor, Donald Valentine, David Wegmann, and Paul Wythes, as well as Henry Riggs of Stanford University.
Those interviewed in Boston were: Peter Brooke, William Burgin, Richard Bumes, Craig Bun, Thomas Claflan,
Daniel Gregory, Harry Heeler, Paul Hogan, Joseph Powell, Patrick Sansonetti, John Shane, and Courtney Whiten.
'Venture capital firms are financial intermediaries that collect capita! from a variety of sources and redistribute
it via their investments. The precise origin of the funds that are collected and deployed by venture capitalists is
difficult to specify. While it is possible to examine the investors in venture capital partnerships, such as an endeavor
is problematic since large financial corporations and other institutional investors mobilize funds in national and
global markets. It is thus impossible to ascertain the precise origin of funds being supplied to venture capital firms.
However, examining the distinct clusters or complexes of venture capital activity remains important since venture
capitalists play a central role in collecting and mobilizing funds for high technology business formations.
t
1
1
f
{
1
and Connectic
running from
1
Our rese
various centerl
oriented financ
nology-oriente
capital and rei
potential inves
This pap
The data base p
and participant
Capital Journt
firm level data
industry, it en
patterns of the
of leading com
The remi
typology of ler
torical evolutic
their implicatic
TYPOLOGY
Although ventu
to more than $2
Economics 198.
and Kenney 19
venture capital I
and Massachust
is tightly cluste
Surprisinl
clusters. The lit
Schiffel and Mo
the most recent
1987) makes nr
Yanous venture
technology entrr
well 1985; Free
kusen, Hall and
types of ventu(
Table l sh
complexes in te
dollar volume c
cisco), New Yr
Minnesota (Mir
gregates, the an
activity. Ventur
pages.
VENTURE CAPITAL AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY 303
and Connecticut can be better thought of as representing progressive points on a continuum
running from predominantly technology-oriented to predominantly finance-based venturing.
Our research further suggests that coinvestment forms an important link between the
various centers of venture capital activity. It allows venture capital firms located in export-
oriented financial complexes to participate in deals originated by venture capitalists in tech-
nology-oriented complexes. Extensive coinvesting facilitates long distance flows of venture
capital and reinforces the flow of venture capital toward locations that generate the best
potential investment opportunities.
This paper presents findings from a firm level data base on the venture capital industry.
The data base provides discrete information on venture capital investors, portfolio companies,
and participants in investment syndications. It has been compiled from reports in Venture
Capital Journal that focus on venture capital investments in various areas. Although the
firm level data base does not comprise a fully representative sample of the venture capital
industry, it enables us to approximate more accurately the investment and coinvestment
patterns of the various complexes, and as such, allows us to understand better the evolution
of leading complexes.
The remainder of this paper proceeds as follows. The first section summarizes our
typology of leading venture capital centers. The following sections then explore their his-
torical evolution. A summary of major findings is presented in the concluding section and
their implications for both private and public sector practitioners are explored.
TYPOLOGY OF VENTURE CAPITAL COMPLEXES
Although venture capital activity has increased from approximately
$3.5 billion in the 1970s
to more than $20 billion today, investments are heavily concentrated in a few areas (Venture
Economi cs 1983, 1985; Offi ce of Technol ogy Assessment 1984;Ti mmons et al . 1984; Fl ori da
and Kenney 1988a). Just two regions, the Northeast and West, account for the bulk of all
venture capital resources, and within these regions,
just
three states-California, New York,
and Massachusetts--{ontrol approximately 60Vo of the venture capital pool. Venture capital
is tightly clustered in a few, distinct pockets across the United States.
Surprisingly, little research has been done on how venture capital evolves or why it
clusters. The literature on venture capital gives only passing attention to these issues (Bean,
Schiffel and Mogee 197S;Kozmetsky, Gill and Smilor 1985;Timmons et al. 1984). Although
the most recent geography literature (Green and MacNaughton 1987; Leinbach and Amrhein
1987) makes note of such clustering, it provides little understanding of differences among
various venture capital centers or of the implications of venture capital's geography for high
technology entrepreneurship. The literature on technology innovation (Rothwell
1984; Roth-
well 1985; Freeman 1984) and high technology regions (Dorfman 1983; Oakey 1984; Mar-
kusen, Hall and Glasmeier 1987) affords only cursory mention to the role played by different
types of venture capital complexes in the formation of high technology regions.
Table I shows the differences that characterize the seven most important venture capital
complexes in terms of our three-part typology. It presents data on the number of firms, total
dollar volume of resources, and share of resources for Califomia (Silicon Valley/San Fran-
cisco), New York, Massachusetts (Boston), Illinois (Chicago),
Connecticut, Texas, and
Minnesota (Minneapolis). Although the data arrayed in this table represent state-wide ag-
gregates, the areas listed in parentheses comprise the predominant centers of venture capital
activity. Venture capital complexes are generally identified under these titles in the following
pages.
304 R. L. FLoRTDA AND M. KENNEY
TABLE 1 A Typology of Leading Venture Capital Complexes
Capital
base
(mi l l i ons
of
dollars)
Number
of
Firms
Number
of
top
firms"
Financial
index
Fi nanci al -
corporate
index
In state/
outstate
mvestment
ratio
Financial complexes
New York
Il l i noi s
(Chicago)
(20.0)b
863
( 5. 3)
95
( 15. 0)
23
(3 6)
t' 73
(27. 3)
60
(e. 5)
2l
( 3. 3)
54
(8 s)
15
(2 4)
441
(69 6)
634
1. 05
1. 00
0. 59
0. 59
1. 00
1. 00
0. 50
0. 32
0. 09
220
0. 49
0. 14
114
0. 78
1. 00
064
0. 77
r 63
1. 13
0. 50
t 1
(27.e)
4
(6 6)
l 3
( 2r . 3)
8
( 13 1)
2
(3 3)
4
(6. 6)
2
( 3. 3)
50
(82. 0)
61
1. 26
partnerships. I
one indicate a
ships, whereat
corporatrons c
plexes: New )
Valley/SanFrz
partnerships.
The ratir
the investment
New York (0.
complexes, Si
over exports.
'
not overwheln
Table 2
ing better det:
ing though, it
funds data dil
latter include
amounted to $
Second, becau
regional varial
the West regir
gion includes
ever, rn areas
ity, is subsum
problematic bt
broadly define
The ratir
2 provides a rc
to these data, r
England regior
exports capital
(0.49) and the
of venture cap
Taken to
capital comple
Silicon Valley
also attracted
flows for the
generated and
The follr
terial to docur
generated frofi
patterns and to
of each compk
a thorough clu
(hereafter
abbr
and extensive
Te c hnolo gy -O riented C omple xe s
California
(San Francisco/
Silicon Valley
Hybrid Complexes
Massachusetts
(Boston)
Connecticut
Texas
Minnesota
(Minneapolis)
Total
U.S. Total
5, 296
(32 s)
2, 054
( r 2. 6)
794
(4. e)
'7'15
(4 8)
380
( 2. 3)
11 4) 4
(82.3)
16, 308
Sozrces; Venture Economics (1985); Venture Capiml Journal; Florida md Kenney (1988a)
'This
is based on a grouping of the 6l most active venture capital fims as presented in Bygrave and Timmons (1986)
bNumbers
in ptrentheses represent percentage shile of U S total
Three of the complexes are significantly larger than the others. California is the largest
with $5.3 biliion (32Vo) of the venture capital pool. New York is second with $3.2 billion
(2OVo), and Boston has $2 billion (l2%o) of the venture capital pool. California also has the
largest number of venture capital firms with 173, followed by New York with 95, and Boston
with 60. Chicago, Connecticut, and Texas each control approximately $800 million in venture
capital resources; Minneapolis controls roughly half that amount. Taken together, the seven
venture capital complexes account for $13.2
billion (82.3Vo) in venture capital resources
and 441 (70Vo) venture capital firms.
Our typology for the venture capital industry is supported by the following suggestive
data. Four of the complexes are located in the only states that Glasmeier
(1985) identifies
as having high rankings on the absolute number of high technology
jobs
and on the ratio of
high technology
jobs
to total manufacturing employment: California, Massachusetts, Con-
necticut, and Texas. The remaining two centers, New York and Chicago, are among the
largest concentrations of financial resources in the United States, as well as Boston. The
San Francisco Bay area also houses a significant concentration of financial assets.
The indices in Table I shed additional light on our typology. The financial index
compares the number of venture capital subsidiaries of financial institutions to the number
of limited partnerships, while the financial-corporate index adds venture capital subsidiaries
of financial and industrial corporations together and compares them to the number of limited
In state/
outstate
investmenl
ratlo
032
0. 09
2. 20
0. 49
0. 14
t . 14
0. 78
mons ( 1986) .
ria is the largest
ith
$3.2
billion
nia also has the
95, and Boston
illion in venture
lther, the seven
lpital resources
ving suggestive
1985) identifies
I on the ratio of
achusetts, Con-
are among the
as Boston. The
ASSEIS.
financial index
ito the number
ital subsidiaries
mber of limited
VENTURE CAPITAL AND HIGH TEcHNoLoGY 305
partnerships. Index values of one suggest correspondence between categories; values below
one indicate a preponderance of nonfinancial and/or nonindustriai venture capital partner-
ships, whereas values above one suggest the opposite. Venture capital subsidiaries of large
corporations comprise a relatively large share of venture capital firms located in four com-
plexes: New York, Chicago, Connecticut, and Texas. The three remaining centers, Silicon
Valley/San Francisco, Boston, and Minneapolis, have larger relative concentrations of limited
partnerships.
The ratio of in state to out of state investments provides an interesting snapshot into
the investment patterns of the ma.jor complexes. According to these data, three complexes-
New York (0.32), Chicago (0.09), and Connecticut (0.14)-are export oriented. Only two
complexes, Silicon Valley/San Francisco (2.2O) and Texas (1.14) favor in-state investments
over exports. Two others, Minneapolis (0.78) and Boston (0.49), make a considerable but
not overwhelming share of their investments in state.
Table 2 shows regional flow-of-funds data for the venture capital industry, provid-
ing better detail on the investment orientation of the various complexes. Before proceed-
ing though, it is important to note two caveats concerning these data. First, the flow-of-
funds data differ from the data on venture capital resources presented in Table l. The
latter include the total capital under management. ln 1982, venture capital investments
amounted to $1.8
billion or about one quarter of the total $7.6 billion under management.
Second, because of the peculiar manner in which regions are demarcated in this data base,
regional variables sometimes comprise reasonable proxies for state activity. For example,
the West region includes California and two other smaller states, and the New York re-
gion includes
just
New York and the adjacent state of New Jersey. Problems arise, how-
ever, in areas such as the Midwest where Chicago, a key center of venture capital activ-
ity, is subsumed within a broad geographic area. The case of New England is even more
problematic because Boston and Connecticut are combined as well as subsumed within a
broadly deflned region.
The ratio of venture capital receipts to investments presented at the bottom of Table
2 provides a rough guide to venture capital flows between the various complexes. According
to these data, only California (2.25) and Texas (2.93) are net atffactors of capital. The New
England region, which includes both Boston and Connecticut, simultaneously attracts and
exports capital, with imports and exports essentially balancing each other out. New York
(0.49) and the Midwest (0.70), with its primary center in Chicago are enonnous exporters
of venture capital.
Taken together, the data shown above suggest a clear-cut investment pattern for venture
capital complexes. The financial complexes, New York and Chicago, clearly favor exports.
Silicon Valley/San Francisco not only retained the bulk of the venture capital it raised but
also attracted substantial outside capital. Although there is some variation in investment
flows for the hybrid complexes, each of these retained a sizeable share of the capital it
generated and each was able to attract significant capital from outside sources.
The following sections deploy a variety of quantitative and qualitative historical ma-
terial to document the unique characteristics of the various complexes. First, information
generated from our venture capital data base is used to examine investment and coinvestment
patterns and to identify links between complexes (Table 3). Second, the historical evolution
of each complex is documented through detailed examinations of primary source documents,
a thorough chronological review of the industry's trade publication Venture Capital Journal
(hereafter abbreviated VCI), reference to both published and unpublished secondary sources,
and extensive oral interviews with leading venture capitalists.
(,
o
o\
r-
-
F
z
F
n
rrt
z
z
tlt
TABLE 2 Venture Capital Flow of Funds, 1982 (millions of dollars)
Venture
Capital
Investments
Received by
Region
Venturc Capital Investments Made by Region
New Yorlc/ Texas/ California/ Pacific Total Regional
New England New Jersey Midatlantic South Midwest Gulf Coast Plains Rockies Southwest Northwest Invested Share
New
England
New Yorl/
New Jersey
Mid Atlantic
South
Midwest
Texas/
Gulf Coast
Plains
Rockies
Califomia/
Southwest
Pacific
$93
32.9Vo"
$61
17.o%
$)
8. l %o
$16
9.0Vo
$9
t6.7%
$19
6.7Vo
$66
18.6%
$2
3. 27o
$5
2. 8Vo
$6
2. l %o
$15
4. 2%
$4
6.5Vo
$12
6. \ Vo
$l l 8
41.87o
$136
38.3%
$42
67. 77o
$64
36. 17o
$7
13.OVo
$2
28.6%
$3
l . 0Vo
$r
o.8%
$l
| . 6Vo
$6
3.4Vo
$l
1.9?o
$282
IOOVo
$35s
t6%
$62
l00%o
$6
tffi%
$177
IOOVo
$s4
t f f i %
7
tN%
15.SVo
19.5%
3. 4Vo
0. 3%
9.7Vo
3. l Vo
o.4%
$9 $7
3. 24o 2. 5Vo
$l r $15
3. r % 4. 2%
$2 $l
3. 2Va 1. 69o
$3
50.o%
$5 $38
2. 8% 2l . 5Vo
$4 $1
7. 4% l . 9%o
$2
28.6Vo
$20 $1 $7
7. 0% 0. 3Vo 2. 5Vo
$31 $ 3 $14
8. 7% O. 8% 3. 9%
$3 - b
4. \ Vo
$2 $l
33.3% 16.7%
$12 $ 2 $17
6. 8Vo 1 . l % 9. 6Vo
s24 $5
44.57o 9.3%
$2 $l $l
28.6Vo 14.3% l4.3%o
$33
8.9Vo
$l
7. 7%
$7
I . 9Vo
$l
O.3Va
$2 $5
O. 6Vo 1. 34o
$l $3
7. 7% 23. r%
$13
3. 5%
$1
<1@
$l
7. 7%
$22
5. 9Vo
$7
53.8%
$280
75. 5Vo
$8
Aa l d
$8
2. r %
$11
<1 1G
Midwest
Texas/
Gulf Coast
Plains
Rockies
California/
Southwest
Pacific
Northwest
Foreign
Unknown
Total
received
Regional
Share
Ratio of
ReceiptV
Investrnents
$16
9. I Vo
$e
t6.7%
$33
8. 9%
$10
12.8%
$51
12. 8%
s278
153%
0. 99
$s
2. 8%
$12
6.8Vo
$l
0. 3%
$2
2. 6%
$13
3. 3%
$52
2.9To
0. 84
$64
36.19o
$7
t3.o%
$2
28.6%
$6
3. 4%
$l
r . 9%
$l
7. 7%
$7
1. 9%
$11
t 4. l %
$61
15.3%
$173
9. 5%
0.49
$2
o.6%
$4
5. l Vo
$22
5. 5%
$62
3. 4%
10. 33
$s
t . 3%
$10
t 2. 8%
$44
Lt . l %
$r24
6.\Vo
0. 70
$12
6. 87o
$24
44.5Vo
$2
28.6%
$l
7. 7%
$22
5. 9%
$3
3.9Vo
$38
9.6%
$158
8. 7%
2. 93
$7
53.8%
$280
75. 5%
$8
42. 1%
$36
46.2Vo
$134
33.6%
$833
45.7%
2. 25
$8
2. 1%
$11
57.1Vo
$1
1. 3%
$14
35%
$50
2.77o
2. 63
$13
t N%
$371
tffi%
$19
100%
$78
rffi%
$398
tw%
$1822
too%
1.00
o.7%
20.4%
I . l Vo
4. 37o
21.8%
tN%
$5 $38
2.8Vo 21.5%
$4 $l
7. 4% t . 9%o
$2
28.6%
$2 $17
| . l %o 9. 6Vo
$5
9. 3%
$l $r
14.3% 14.3%
i#A
s 7%
ffi
3.o%
M:/"
o'4%
$r $3
7.7% 23.r%
$13
3. 5%
$l
5. 3Vo
$2
2.67o
$2 $19
o. 5% 4. 8%
$10 $82
05% 4. 5Vo
t . 43 6. 3r
Sowce: Otficn of Technology Assessment, Tecfuology, Imvation and Regioml Economic Daelopmcnt (Washington, D.C., l9E4).
'Numbers
expresscd as per!entags rud horizontally as representing regional shares of venture capital investnents made.
oReFesnts
investnents under $1 million.
rl]
1
t!
t
t-
z
.l
Fi
z
5
(,
c
{
308 R. L. FLoRIDA AND M KENNEY
TABLE 3 Investments and Coinvestments for Leading Venture Capital Complexes
NY MA CT CA IL MN TX Other/NA Total
New York Complex
I nvest ment s318432508
(24. 2) (6. 3) (3. l ) (25. 0) (3. 9) (0. 0) (6. 3)
Coinvestmens 59 23 5 7'7 19 7 5
(23. 5) (e. 2) (2. 0) (30. 7) (7. 5) (2. 8) (2
0)
Boston Complex
I nvest ment s637026025
(s. 4) (33. 1) (0. 0) (23. 2) (0 0) (1. 8) (4. s)
Coinvestments 56 83 l0 65 13 3 6
( 19. 4) ( 28 7) ( 3. s) ( 22. s) ( 4. 5) ( 1. 0) ( 2. t )
Connecticut Complex
Investments 3 13 8 18 I I 4
( 4. 2) ( 20. 3) ( r 2. s) ( 28. 1) ( 1. 6) ( 1. 6) ( 6. 3)
Coinvestments 67 35 19 49 5 I 9
( 25. 0) ( 13 1) ( 7. 1) ( 18. 3) ( r . 9) ( 0. 4) ( 3. 3)
California Complex
I nvest ment sl l ' 711421411
(0. 5) (8. 3) (0. 5) (68. s) (0. s) (l 9) (5. 3)
Coinvestments 129 34 19 236 32 23 10
(21. s) (9. 0) (3. 2) (3e. 3) (5. 3) (3. 8) (1. 7)
Chicago Complex
I nvest ment sl l l 9336
(2 6) (2. 6) (2. 6) (23. ' , 7) (7. e) (7. e) (15. 8)
Coinvestments 20 14 | 27 9 6 6
( 17. 9) ( r 2. 5) ( 0. 9) ( 24. 1) ( 8. 1) ( 5. 4) ( s. 4)
Minneapolis Complex
I nvest ment s020522l l
(0. 0) (4. 2) (0. 0) (10 4) (4. 2) (43 8) (2. r)
Coinvestments 16 7 2 15 ll 15 0
(20. 2) (8. e) (2. s) (1e. 0) (13. 9) (19. 0) (0. 0)
Texas Complex
I nvest ment s010016l 055
(0. 0) (9. 7) (0. 0) (15. s) (l . 0) (0. 0) (53. 4)
Coinvestments 27 39 12 55 8 8 59
(9. 0) (13. 0) (4. 0) (18. 3) (2. 7) (2. 7) (19. 6)
40
(3 l . 3)
56
(22. 3)
36
( 32. 1)
33
( l 1. 4)
36
( 32. t )
83
(30. 2)
29
( 14. l )
9'.1
(16.2)
t 4
(35. 8)
29
(2s. 9)
l'l
(3s. 4)
l 3
( 16. 5)
) 1
(2O.4\
93
(30.9)
t28
251
capital arm
of importan
1979).
More
as large con
banks (i .e.,
Century Pat
number of f
(VCJ Jtne,
Most
$66 million,
was kept in
was given t
York from t
$173 milliot
The fi
investments
located in Cr
and Illinois
most frequel
to a lesser c
long distan(
branches in
The C
venture capi
Allstate Insr
became one
Allstate's di
panies such
(Bylinsky ll
which was t
Heizer Co4
responsible
Chical
First Nation
Corporation
Illinois (Cor
tion). AMO
The Chicag
Thoma, a nt
Like I
reflected in
Chicago. N
significant e
Less than I
share of inv
orientation,
tt2
289
64
268
206
600
48
79
103
301
38
t12
Numbers in prentheses represent percentage share of total
FINANCIAL COMPLEXES: NEW YORK AND CHICAGO
The New York and Chicago complexes are good models of finance-oriented complexes.
Both are dominated by venture capital operations tied to major financial corporations or
other institutional sources of wealth.
The New York venture capital complex emerged during the Great Depression. Its
catalysts were venture capital funds linked to family fortunes, most notably the Rockefellers
(Venrock), Whitneys (J.H. Whitney and Company), and Phipps (Bessemer
Securities). The
Rockefeller family made important venture investments in McDonnell Douglass and Eastern
Airlines during the late 1930s, while J.H. Whitney and Co. provided backing for Minute
Maid (VCJ November 1974, June 1979).ln 1969, Venrock was set up as a formal venture
0ther/NA Total
VENTURE CAPITAL AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY 309
capital arm of the Rockefeller family. It has since provided early-stage financing for a host
of important high technology companies, such as Intel and Apple Computer (VCJ June
1979).
More than 40 New York venture capital funds are linked to financial institutions, such
as large commercial banks (i.e., Citicorp, Bankers Trust, and Irving Trust), or investment
banks (i.e., Menill Lynch; Drexel, Burnham, Lambert (Lambda);
Smith Barney (First
Cerrtury Partnership); and Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette. New York City also houses a
number of funds, like Rothschild and CMNY, which are affiliated with European investors
(VCJ
June, August, October 1979).
Most investments made by New York venture capitalists go to other regions. Only
$66 million, or less than 2OVo, of the $355 million invested by New York venture capitalists
was kept in state. Over $136
million (387o) was exported to California, $61 million (177o)
was given to New England, and $31 million went (9Vo) to Texas. When inflows to New
York from other regions are taken into account, venture capital invested in the area reached
$173
million, barely half the total raised there.
The firm level data reinforce these findings. Barely one quarter of the 128 sample
investments made by New York venture capitalists were located in state. Another 25Vo were
located in California, with the next largest shares going to New England (9%o),Texas (6.3Vo),
and lllinois (3 .9Vo) . New York firms also had dispersed patterns of coinvesting, cooperating
most frequently with California venture capitalists (3O.7Vo), with one another (23.5Vo), and
to a lesser degree with venture capitalists in Illinois and Massachusetts. To facilitate such
long distance venturing, many venture capital firms in New York have opened remote
branches in high technology regions like Silicon Valley and Boston-Route 128.
The Chicago complex is similar in many ways to New York. It is comprised of 23
venture capital firms that control about half of all venture capital raised in the Midwest.
Allstate Insurance was very important to the rise of Chicago venture capital. In 1960, it
became one of the first financial institutions to set up a venture capital fund (VCJ 1975).
Allstate's director, Ned Heizer, made very successful investments in young high tech com-
panies such as Control Data, Memorex, Scientific Data Systems, Teledyne, and others
(Bylinsky 1976). ln 1969, Heizer left Allstate to form his own venture capital company,
which was the country's largest venture capital limited partnership when it was organized.
Heizer Corporation became a training ground for venture capitalists and has in turn been
responsible for spinning off a number of important venture capital companies.
Chicago banks became active in venture capital during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
First National Bank of Chicago currently has two venture capital affiliates (First Capital
Corporation of Chicago and the Institutional Venture Capital Fund), as does Continental
Illinois (Continental
Illinois Equity Corporation and Continental Illinois Venture Corpora-
tion). AMOCO and Sears have also made some significant venture capital commitments.
The Chicago venture capital industry is rounded out by the important partnership, Golder
Thoma, a number of smaller partnerships, and a few SBICs (VCJ August 1974, June 1981).
Like New York, the Chicago venture capital complex tends to export funds. This is
reflected in the flow-of-funds data for the Midwest, which we use as a rough proxy for
Chicago. Nearly 80Vo of the $177
million raised by the Midwest was exported, the most
significant amount going to California
($64 million). The firm level data clarify this trend.
Less than lOVo of investments in our Chicago sample were located in Illinois. The largest
share of investments (23 .7 Vo) went to California and Texas (15 .8Vo) . Because of their export
orientation, Chicago venture capitalists coinvested frequently with venture capitalists located
128
25r
rl2
289
&
268
206
600
14 38
(35. 8)
29 tt2
(2s. 9)
40
( 1r
?\
56
(22. 3)
36
( 32. r )
JJ
( r 1. 4)
36
( 32. 1)
83
(30. 2)
) q
( 14. 1)
97
(t6.2)
17 48
(3s. 4)
13 79
(16. 5)
21 103
(20.4)
93 301
(30.e)
d complexes.
rrporations or
ropression.
Its
: Rockefellers
rcurities). The
ss and Eastern
rg for Minute
ormal venfure
310 R. L. FLoRTDA AND M. KENNEY
elsewhere, particularly California (24Vo)
,
New York (17 .9Vo)
,
and Boston (l2.5vo). Chicago
venture firms invest frequently with other finance-oriented venture capitalists, especially
those in New York.
SILICON VALLEY/SAI\ FRANCISCO AS A
TECHNOLOGY.ORIENTED COMPLEX
The Silicon Valley/San Francisco venture capital complex is the best example of technology-
oriented venturing. Venture groups began to emerge in the Bay Area during the late 1950s
and early 1960s. Before then, entrepreneurs had to rely on industrial corporations or financial
firms in more established financial centers for early-stage funding. For example, Shockley
Transistor Corporation was started with backing from Beckman Industries, whereas financing
for Fairchild Semiconductor was provided by Fairchild Camera.
The early venture groups in the Bay Area took on a variety of forms. The first venture
capital firm in California, Draper, Gaither and Anderson, was f,ounded in 1958 as a limited
partnership. The following year saw the establishment of two federally leveraged SBICs,
Continental Capital Corporation and Small Business Enterprises. Another SBIC, Draper and
Johnson, was set up in 1962. The important firm, Sutter Hill, was founded as the venture
capital arm of the real estate development firm. Bank of America and a number of other
commercial banks also provided venture financing for expanding businesses during this early
period.
In 1961, New York investment banker Arthur Rock formed a model limited partnership
with Tommy Davis of Kern County Land Company. Of even greater significance was the
revolving syndicate of independent investors centered around John Bryan and Bill Edwards,
which later came to be known as "the group." One intermittent partner of "the group," Reid
Dennis, was able to persuade his employer, Firemen's Fund Insurance, to invest in a number
of new ventures.
The Bay Area venture capital industry thus emerged from a period of active experi-
mentation with different types of organizations for providing venture capital. The seminal
period, 1956-1963, witnessed the establishment of more than a dozen important venture
capital firms in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Faced with acute difficulties mobilizing
funds and the need to share information and expertise, these early venture capitalists gradually
evolved into an interactive community trading information and participating together in
rudimentary coinvestments,
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the dramatic growth and reorganization of the
Silicon Valley venture complex. Much of this expansion came from the original group of
venture capitalists. In 1968, for example, Bryan and Edwards was established, and George
Quist,
of Bank of America, set up Hambrecht and
Quist.
In 1974, Reid Dennis founded
Institutional Venture Associates with Burton McMurtry of Palo Alto Investment. Two years
later, Institutional Venture Associates split into two partnerships, McMurtry's Technology
Venture Associates and Dennis' Institutional Venture Partners
(Wilson
1985). Tommy Davis
launched the important Mayfield Fund in 1974.
A variety of other actors entered the Silicon Valley venture industry during this period.
In 1968, Bessemer Securities became one of the first East Coast venture capital firms to
open a California branch. Eugene Kleiner of Fairchild Semiconductor was a cofounder of
the important firm Kleiner Perkins in 1974, while Donald Valentine, an alumnus of both
Fairchild and National Semiconductor, established Capital Management Services, Inc. (later
Sequoia Capital) around the same time. Citicorp opened a West Coast office in 1973. A
host of new p
during this per
capital operati
This per
consequence v
italists managi
venture capita
bet on venture
entrepreneurs,
financial resou
The gro'
locus of ventu
located at 300
capital activity
dozen venture
United States
r
The Bay
1970s and earl
the industry. T
on pension fun'
faced by manS
such as Intel a
Bygrave and I
activity from e
venture capital
notably Arscot
Similarly, Met
ica's venture g
The earl
venture capital
shift toward la
concentrating
(
and Onset Par
funds). Finalll
offices, includ
Venture Capit:
were establish
January, Marc
In sharp
venture capital
state. Just 2570
nearly 507o ol
approximately
wesr. capital ir
from New En1
to $833 millior
endogenously
These fir
%). Chicago
s, especially
itechnology-
rc late 1950s
s or financial
le, Shockley
eas financing
r first venture
i as a limited
aged SBICs,
i, Draper and
s the venture
fier of other
ing this early
d paftnership
mce was the
lill Edwards,
group," Reid
;in a number
ctive experi-
The seminal
tant venture
s mobilizing
sts gradually
together in
ation of the
tal group of
and George
nis founded
. Two years
Technology
mmy Davis
this period.
ital firms to
ofounder of
nus of both
i, Inc. (later
i n 1973. A
VENTURE CAPITAL AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY 31I
host of new partnerships (i.e., Idanta Partners and WestVen Management) were formed
during this period. Between 1968 and 1975, approximately 30 new or reconstituted venture
capital operations were established in the Bay Area.
This period also saw an increase in outside funds committed to venture capital. One
consequence was the emergence of the limited partnership-with professional venture cap-
italists managing capital provided by passive outside invgslels-as the dominant model for
venture capital. University endowments, financial institutions, and pension funds initially
bet on venture capitalists with proven track records. Over time, a growing group of former
entrepreneurs, past employees of venture firms, and outside personnel were able to attract
financial resources and launch limited partnerships.
The growth of Silicon Valley as an entrepreneurial center resulted in a shift in the
locus of venture capital activity from San Francisco to Silicon Valley. The office complex
located at 3000 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park has been a virtual headquarters for venture
capital activity since it was constructed in the early 1970s. Today, it houses more than two
dozen venture capital firms, making it the largest single enclave of venture capital in the
United States (Wilson 1985).
The Bay Area venture complex witnessed its most recent growth phase during the late
1970s and early 1980s. This period saw an even more dramatic surge in outside funding to
the industry. The reduction in the tax rate on capital gains and the liberalization of restrictions
on pension fund investments were two reasons for this (McMurtry 1986). The "profit squeeze"
faced by many large corporations and the tremendous success of venture-backed start-ups
such as Intel and Apple Computer also attracted external capital to the industry (Case
1986;
Bygrave and Timmons 1986). This growing pool of funds encouraged significant spinoff
activity from established funds. Citicorp, for example, became a virtual training ground for
venture capitalists. Its alumni established a series of important partnerships during this period,
notably Arscott, Norton and Associates (1978), and Dougery, Jones and Wilder (1981).
Similarly, Merrill, Pickard, Anderson and Eyre was founded by members of Bank of Amer-
ica's venture group.
The early 1980s saw the emergence of venture capital "megafunds," as established
venture capitalists pyramided partnership funds on top of one another. This resulted in a
shift toward larger venture commitments and opened up an investment niche for seed funds
concentrating on very early stage investments, i.e., Alpha Partners, Crosspoint Ventures,
and Onset Partners (which was capitalized by a consortium of established venture capital
funds). Finally, a host of venture capital firms headquartered elsewhere opened California
offices, including L.F. Rothschild, J.H. Whitney, TA Associates, and General Electric
Venture Capital (GEVENCO). Between 1978 and 1982, more than 50 venture capital funds
were established in the Silicon Valley/San Francisco arca (VCJ February, March 1980;
January, March, November, December 1981; February, March, May 1982).
In sharp contrast to New York and Chicago, California is a tremendous attractor of
venture capital. Three quarters ($280 million) of the $371 million it invested was placed in
state. Just 25Vo was exported, most of it going to New England and Texas. California claimed
nearly 5OVo of the capital invested by two regions, the Mid-Atlantic and Rockies, and
approximately 40Vo of the investments of New England, New York, and the Pacific North-
west. Capital inflows of $ 136 million from the New York area and an additional $
I 18 million
from New England helped push the total amount of venture capital invested in California
to $833 million, or more than 45Va of the total pool. California ended up nearly tripling its
endogenously raised resources as a result of such capital imports.
These findings are reinforced by the firm level data. Nearly 7O7o of the sample in-
312 R. L. FLoRIDA AND M. KENNEY
vestments made by California venture capital firms were located in state. The next largest
concentrations were found in Massachusetts (8Vo) and Texas (5%). California venture cap-
italists also liked to coinvest with one another. Same state coinvesting represented 39Vo of
the deals in our California sample. California venture capitalists also participated fairly
regularly in investment syndications with New York City firms (2IVo), and to a lesser extent
with Massachusetts
(97o), and Texas funds (57o).
Venture capital in the Silicon Valley area evolved gradually alongside the high tech-
nology enterprises that spring up there. Venture capital thus became an integral part of what
we term a social structure of innovation (Florida and Kenney 1988): an interactive system
comprised of technology intensive enterprises, highly skilled human capital, high caliber
universities, substantial public/private research and development expenditures, specialized
networks of suppliers, support services such as law firms and consultants, strong entrepre-
neurial networks, and informal mechanisms for information exchange and technology trans-
fer.
The synergies among the various elements of this social structure created a unique
window of opportunity for the emergence of technology-oriented investing apart from tra-
ditional financial institutions. The growth of technology venturing then proceeded along a
learning curve characteized by the gradual accumulation of investment and management
skills on the part of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs alike. This in turn facilitated the
development of extended entrepreneurial networks that became conduits for sharing infor-
mation, making deals, and mobilizing resources. As a central component of such networks,
venture capital thus played an important role in incubating entrepreneurial activity, attracting
entrepreneurs, and accelerating rates of new business formation.
BOSTON AS A TECHNOLOGY.ORIENTED TIYBRID
The venture capital industry in Boston is a hybrid complex, combining characteristics of
technology- and finance-based venture capital complexes. Boston was perhaps the first area
to possess some degree of organized venture capital. As early as 191 1, the Boston Chamber
of Commerce was providing financial and technical assistance to new enterprises. In 1940,
the New England Industrial Development Corporation was launched to provide similar kinds
of assistance to new ventures (Kaplan 1948).
Boston was the home of American Research and Development (1946) the nation's
first institutional venture fund. ARD was the creation of a prominent group of bankers and
industrialists who saw such an entity as a way to more effectively finance technology-
oriented enterprise (Liles 1977). In addition, a significant number of early venture capital
investments in the Boston area were made by private individuals and wealthy families both
from the Boston area and New York City.
By the early 1960s, large Boston financial institutions also became involved in venture
capital. First National Bank of Boston established a program for providing loans to tech-
nology-oriented businesses and formed an SBIC affiliate. Around the same time, Federal
Street SBIC was established, a consortium of Boston banks.
Like Silicon Valley, Boston witnessed the development of a technology-oriented ven-
trre community parallel to the emergence of the Route 128 entrepreneurial complex. ARD's
enormously successful investment in Digital Equipment Corporation
(DEC) in the late 1950s
pr,ovided a vital impetus to the climate for high technology entrepreneurship in Boston. DEC
played
a significant role in the evolution of the Boston-Route 128 high technology center;
it became
1983) .
ART
Corp.
was
instrumenl
River Part
In 1968, I
technolog'
more than
Asl
organized
Managem
Fund of l
venture
gl
as Eastec
elsewhere
OuI
nearly as
much less
a number
In contral
scale fint
traditiona
Tht
Boston
c
Boston c
RoughlY
England
amounts
million).
inflows
f
from Ca
Th
proxrma
Boston
capitalis
Boston
capitalit
rure caj
venure
tech re1
DtrTT
TEX/
The th
charac
The next largest
rmia
venture
cap-
)resented
39Vo of
rarticipated
fairly
to a lesser
extent
te the high tech-
gral part
of what
rteractive
system
tal, high
caliber
rres,
specialized
strong
entrepre_
:chnology
trans-
reated
a unique
apart
from tra-
rceeded
along
a
rd management
r facilitated
the
r sharing
infor-
such
networks,
ivity,
attracting
uacteristics
of
s the first area
rston
Chamber
i ses.
In 1940,
rsimilar
kinds
I the nation's
fbankers
and
r technology-
:nture
capital
families
both
ed in venture
rans
to tech-
ime,
Federal
rriented
ven-
rl ex.
ARD' s
re late 1950s
oston.
DEC
logy center;
VENTURE CAPITAL AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY 313
it became an incubator for more than 30 spinoffs, most notably Data General (Dorfman
1983).
ARD similarly became an incubator for venture capital funds. In 1963, Boston Capital
Corp. was founded by ARD alumnus, Joseph Powell. By the 1970s, ARD alumni were
instrumental in launching a host of top level partnerships including Palmer, Greylock, Charles
River Partnership, and Morgan Holland (VC"/ March 1974, August 1975, November 1976).
In 1968, Peter Brooke left his position as manager of First National Bank of Boston's high
technology loan program and later went on to launch TA Associates, which currently manages
more than $1.5 billion in capital, making it the largest venture capital fund in the country.
As the technology base of the Boston region developed, a host of partnerships were
organized by veteran venture capitalists. Both Burr, Egan and Deleage and Claflan Capital
Management were formed by former TA Associates employees, while the Venture Capital
Fund of New England was established by managers of First National Bank of Boston's
venture group. The late 1970s and early 1980s also saw the formation of new funds, such
as Eastech and Zerostage, and the movement of branch offices of funds headquartered
elsewhere, such as Bessemer Venture Capital, to the Boston area.
Our interviews with Boston venture capitalists indicate that the Boston complex is not
nearly as tightly organized as that of San Francisco/Silicon Valley. There appears to be
much lessinformation sharing and/or coinvesting among Boston venture capitalists, although
a number of Boston firms possess rather tight links to New York City venture capitalists.
In contrast to California, a significant number of Boston venture firms are involved in large-
scale financial transactions such as leveraged buyouts (LBOs) which clearly fall outside
traditional venture capital activities.
The data on investments and coinvestments illuminate the hybrid characteristics of the
Boston complex. If we use data on the flow of funds for New England as a proxy, the
Boston complex essentially breaks even when imports and exports are taken into account.
Roughly one third ($93 million) of the $282 million invested by venture capitalists in New
England was placed within the region. A sizeable percentage was exported, with the largest
amounts going to California ($118 million), New York ($19 million), and Texas ($20
million). However, New England was able to replenish its capital exports with sizeable
inflows from other areas. These included inflows of $61 million from New York. $33 million
from California. and $16 million from the Midwest.
The firm level data clarify these trends. Boston venture capitalists concentrated ap-
proximately one third of their investments in state. More than 207o were made in California.
Boston venture capitalists coinvested regularly with one another as well as with venture
capitalists located in other complexes. Nearly 3OVo of investment syndications involving
Boston venture capital firms were with other Boston firms, whereas 22Vo were with venture
capitalists in California, and l9%o were with New York firms. Even though Boston ven-
ture capitalists participate in a significant amount of long distance investing, the their
venture capital complex remains an important component of the Boston-Route 128 high
tech region and the broader social structure of innovation that characterizes that area.
DIIT'ERENCES AMONG ITYBRID COMPLEXES: COI\NECTICUT.
TEXAS. AI\D MIh{I{EAPOL$
The three remaining complexes--{onnecticut, Texas, and Minneapolis-all exhibit hybrid
characteristics. The Connecticut venture capital industry got its impetus in the late 1960s.
314 R. L. FLoRTDA ANDM. KENNEy
During this formative period, a tightly knit group of wealthy families began to actively
engage in venture capital investments. In 1969, Harlan Anderson, a founder of Digital
Equipment Corporation (DEC), set up Anderson Investment Company. Another eady venture
capital operation was established by Sherman Fairchild, whose capital came from family
investments in IBM. ln 1972, Thomas Watson, a former Board Chairman of IBM, launched
Partnership Dankist, which later came under the direction of Thomas Murphy (VC./ March
1976). Murphy went on to organize the Fairfield Venture Capital Group, an informal as-
semblage of 30 to 40 venture capitalists and independent investors.
Connecticut houses three of the largest venture capital subsidiaries of industrial cor-
porations (Mears l98I; VCJ May 1982, May 1983, March 1984, March 1985). General
Electric set up its venture capital operation GEVENCO in 1968. Xerox Venture Capital has
been involved in venture investing since the mid 1970s, while Vista Ventures, the $100
million fund affiliated with SOHIO, was established in 1980.
Rounding out the Connecticut venture capital industry are a series of private partner-
ships founded in the early 1980s. These include Oxford Partners, Fairfield Venture Partners,
Prime Capital, and Regional Financial Enterprises. Many of the principals of these part-
nerships served lengthy apprenticeships with the venture capital subsidiaries of corporations
headquartered in Connectictt (VCJ May 1982). The largest venture capital firm in Con-
necticut is Oak Management with $240 million under management. lt evolved out of the
Charter Oak Enterprises, which was the primary consultant for Xerox's venture capital
operation during the mid l970s (VCJ March 1976).
The firm level data indicate that Connecticut venture capitalists make about one third
of their investments in New England. Approximately 2OVo of their investments were in
Massachusetts, with roughly l2%o located in state. California accounted for 28Vo of the
investments made by Connecticut venture capitalists. Connecticut venture capitalists coin-
vested regularly with venture capitalists headquartered on the East Coast. One quarter of
their coinvestments were with New York firms, another l3Eo werewith Massachusetts venture
capitalists, and lTVo were with one another. Connecticut venture capitalists also frequently
engaged in investment syndication with California venture firms.
The Texas venture capital complex consists of four distinct subcenters: Dallas, Hous-
ton, San Antonio, and Austin. The largest center is Dallas with $285 million. Dallas has a
number of major venture capital limited partnerships including Sevin and Rosen, Capital
Southwest, Southwest Enterprise Associates, and Berry Cash. Dallas also has branch offices
of funds headquartered elsewhere, most notably Citicorp (New York), Orange Nassau (Bos-
ton), Golder Thoma (Chicago), and Business Resource Investors (VC./ August 1980, June
1984).
The venture capital centers located in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio are roughly
half the size of Dallas complex. San Antonio controls $86 million. Austin accounts for $62
million. Houston controls $66 million in venture capital, but its industry is dominated by
small partnerships and SBICs who coinvest regularly with each other.
Venture capital in Texas has been heavily skewed toward energy-related investments.
According to a recent study (Kozmetsky, Gill and Smilor 1985), Texas venture capitalists
placed more than TOVo of their funds in energy-related businesses. This raises questions as
to the long-term viability of venture capital in Texas during a prolonged slump in energy
pnces.
The Texas complex was able to retain a significant share (457o) of the $54 million in
venture capital it invested. Slightly more than half was exported, with the largest amounts
going to New England ($9 million) and California
($7 million). Like California, the Texas
complex has I
million from
(
boosted inves
raised there. l
venture capita
Venture
apolis comple
that invest he
capital and hi
Rand-UNIVI
Corporation,
UNIVAC
pro
Corporation i
establishment
Community I
Minnea
technology ce
a leader in thr
in 1974. Rou
SBICs, most:
1981) .
Asi nS
investment fc
in Minnesota
the sample cc
capitalists. M
in other state
Chicago capi
been able to
level Chicag<
apolis is the
develop into
CONCLUS
Our examina
First, there
surprisingly,
concentratlo
small busine
like New Yt
of financial:
Valley/San
and attract
I
as technolol
some exteil
intensive fc
Secor
began to actively
founder of Digital
other early venture
came from family
of IBM, launched
trphy (VCJ
March
p, an informal as-
of industrial cor-
;h 1985). General
enture Capital has
entures, the
$100
rf private partner-
Venture Partners,
rals
of these part-
es of corporations
rital firm in Con-
volved out of the
's
venture capital
:e about one third
estments were in
I for 28Vo of the
: capitalists coin-
t. One quarter of
iachusetts venfure
ts also frequently
rs: Dallas, Hous-
ion. Dallas has a
C Rosen, Capital
ras branch offices
tge Nassau (Bos-
rgust 1980, June
onio are roughly
accounts for
962
is dominated by
,ted investments.
)nture capitalists
ises questions
as
slump in energy
e
$54 million in
largest amounts
ornia, the Texas
VENTURE CAPITAL AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY 315
complex has been a net attractor of capital. Inflows of $31 million from New York, $22
million from California, $20 million from New England, and $12 million from the Midwest
boosted investments in the region to $158 million-more than triple the amount that was
raised there. Texas-based venture capital firms coinvest regularly one another (19 .6?o), with
venture capitalists in California
(l8%o), Boston (l3Vo), and New York (9Vo).
Venture capital in Minneapolis represents a technology-oriented hybrid. The Minne-
apolis complex is distinguished by a small number of firms that are tightly networked and
that invest heavily in the Minneapolis area. Minneapolis was an early site for both venture
capital and high technology business. During the 1950s, it was the center for the Sperry
Rand-UNIVAC, one of the early commercial computer projects. In 1957, Control Data
Corporation, a very successful computer company, was organized as a spinoff from the
UNIVAC project. Minneapolis was the site of the first licensed SBIC, First Midwest Capital
Corporation in 1959 (Ruvelson 1971; Noone and Rubel 1970). The following year saw the
establishment of Northwest Growth Fund, a subsidiary of Northwest Bancorporation, and
Community Investment Enterprises, a private venture capital firm (VCJ June, July 1977).
Minneapolis continued its gradual evolution as both a venture capital and a high
technology center through the 1970s. The establishment of Cray Computer made Minneapolis
a leader in the supercomputing field. Control Data Corporation established an SBIC affiliate
in 1974. Rounding out the Minneapolis complex are a series of private partnerships and
SBICs, most notably Pathfinder Venture Capital Fund and North Star Ventures ( VCJ October
l 98l ) .
As in Silicon Valley, the venture capital industry in Minneapolis evidences a local
investment focus. More than 40Vo of investments made by Minneapolis firms were located
in Minnesota. Minneapolis venture capitalists regularly coinvest together. Nearly 2OVo of
the sample coinvestments involving Minneapolis firms were with other Minneapolis venture
capitalists. Minneapolis firms not only participate in a wide range of syndicated investments
in other states but also are able to attract significant amounts of outside capital, especially
Chicago capital, to Minnesota. In a number of cases, Minneapolis venture capitalists have
been able to put together investment syndications involving various combinations of top-
level Chicago, New York, California, and Boston venture capitalists. Simply put, Minne-
apolis is the best example of a nascent entrepreneurial center which has the potential to
develop into a full-fledged technology complex.
CONCLUSIONS AI\D IMPLICATIONS
Our examination of the venture capital industry leads to a number of relevant conclusions.
First, there are significant differences among the major venture capital complexes. Not
surprisingly, venture capital is concentrated in distinct types of areas: those with high
concentrations of financial resources, those with high concentrations oftechnology-intensive
small businesses, and those with both. Venture capital complexes based in financial centers
like New York or Chicago contain relatively large proportions of venture capital subsidiaries
of financial institutions and export their funds. Technology-oriented complexes, i.e., Silicon
Valley/San Francisco, contain large proportions of limited partnerships, favor local invest
and attract venture capital from other areas. Boston and Minneapolis are best characterized
as technology-oriented hybrids, whereas Connecticut is a finance-based hybrid. Texas is to
some extent unique because of its four distinct subcenters and its energy, versus technology,
intensive focus.
Second, the high concentration of good deals in established technology centers creates
316 R. L FLoRTDA AND M. KENNEY
enonnous incentives for venture capital firms to locate there. This results from the high
opponunity costs associated with long distance venturing and the information intensive nature
of venture investing, which makes tight spatial clustering of venture capitalists a virtual
necessity. Indeed, strong, interpersonal networks form the heart of technology-oriented
venture capital complexes like California's Silicon Valley. These function as vehicles for
finding deals, Iocating personnel, organizing companies, or establishing investment syndi-
cates. Geographic clustering of venture capitalists enhances their ability to share information,
make deals, and mobilize resource over very short time horizons.
Third, the relationship between technology-oriented and finance-oriented venture cap-
ital complexes is a symbiotic one. Investment syndicates link export-oriented funds to venture
capitalists located in the vicinity of established technology areas (Florida and Kenney I 988a) .
In most cases, funds in financial complexes function as passive investors, depending upon
their counterparts in technology complexes to assume the role of lead investor and provide
the bulk of assistance to portfolio companies. While such firms are "free-riders" on venture
capitalists located in technology regions, they provide significant infusions of capital, allow
technology-oriented venture capitalists to expand their investments, and increase the scope
of venture capital activity.
Finally, even though a local venture capital industry or venture capital firm is not
absolutely necessary to facilitate high technology entrepreneurship, the existence of well-
developed venture capital networks provides tremendous incentives for start-ups. As focal
points of the well-developed social structures of innovation that have emerged in areas like
California's Silicon Valley and Boston's Route 128, venture capitalists function as both
catalyst and capitalist-providing the networks, contacts, linkages, and resources necessary
to launch new enterprises. The availability of venture capital and the existence of such
networks helps attract entrepreneurs and technical personnel to these regions, creating a self-
reinforcing cycle of new enterprise formation, innovation, and economic development.
These findings have important practical implications for both private and public efforts
aimed at stimulating high technology entrepreneurship and local economic development.
Many venture capitalists we have talked to perceive declining investment opportunities in
established regions due largely to the increased availability ofventure capital in these areas.
This has motivated some venture investors to look elsewhere for deals at times through the
vehicle of remote branch offices. Although there are few data to assess such investment
strategies, they appear to confront numerous obstacles. The belief that venture capital alone
will stimulate entrepreneurship in dormant areas and provide windfall profits for crafty
investors who can identify hidden pockets of entrepreneurial activity seems dubious at best.
We contend that venture capital is much more than money. A fruitful climate for innovation
and entrepreneurship is dependent upon a host of interactions, networks, and linkages which
characterize only certain areas and which venture capitalists in these areas have privileged
access to.
This does not mean that Silicon Valley and Boston-Route 128 hold a monopoly position
on high technology business formations. As our examination of Minneapolis shows, areas
with concentrations of both high technology businesses and venture capital can be late
developers. This also appears to be the case with parts of Florida, central New Jersey, the
Pacific Northwest, and Colorado. It should be remembered, however, that the emergence
of these complexes does not result from any specific recipe of factors. The incubation of
high technology districts anchored by venture capital occurs organically, as a gradual process
characterized by many unknowns and contingencies. Simply making venture capital available
will not magical
can flourish.
These caut
funds to encoural
in state and loca
incubate high ter
mation. These in
venture capitalis
problematic sinc
market and techr
mean another ro
another mad scri
must face up to
The success of r
capitalists can pr
An even th
venture capitalist
of investment mi
to perform poorl
Valley and Bosto
of local resource
confronts many
technology busin
Our exami
unavoidable conl
places where it e
nology entreprer
variants are uniqr
businesses and a
No one factor ca
Huge concentratl
nothing in the w
olina's Research
capital communi
complexes de nc
The challe
isolate the compr
the way they intr
bring them toge
exploration of a
'
some of the mot
entrepreneurship
REFERENCE
Bean, A., Schiffel
Research P
Its from the high
n intensive nature
pitalists a virtual
rhnology-oriented
rn as vehicles for
nvestment syndi-
hare information,
nted venture cap-
C funds to venture
l Kenney 1988a).
, depending upon
lstor and provide
iders" on venture
of capital, allow
lcrease the scope
ryital
firm is not
xistence of well-
art-ups. As focal
rged in areas like
function as both
iources necessary
xistence of such
s, creating a self-
Jevelopment.
nd public efforts
fc development.
opportunities in
al in these areas.
imes through the
such investment
:ure capital alone
rrofits for crafty
dubious at best.
te for innovation
C linkages which
have privileged
onopoly position
,lis
shows, areas
rital can be late
New Jersey, the
t the emergence
re incubation of
gradual process
capital available
VENTURE CAPITAL AND HIGH TECHNoLoGY 3I7
will not magically generate the conditions under which high technology entrepreneurship
can flourish.
These cautions apply doubly to public sector activities aimed at creating public equity
funds to encourage high technology economic development. Recent years have seen a surge
in state and local activity designed to overcome gaps in the availability of venture capital,
incubate high technology, and create environments more conducive to new business for-
mation. These include both the establishment of wholly public funds and the use of private
venture capitalists to invest public money. The establishment of public equity funds is
problematic since political imperatives may impede decisions best made on the basis of
market and technological criteria. In addition, the expansion of public capital may simply
mean another round of interlocality competition pitting jurisdiction
against
jurisdiction
in
another mad scramble for high tech businesses and
jobs.
More importantly, public funds
must face up to the fact that financing is
just
a small part of what venture capitalists do.
The success of new ventures is ultimately contingent on the support services that venture
capitalists can provide or have access to.
An even thornier set of problems crops up when public funds are managed by private
venture capitalists. This takes the form of a "catch 22." Placing tight strings on the geography
of investment may so constrain deal flow that bad investments are made, causing the fund
to perform poorly. If no strings are attached, investments are likely to flow toward Silicon
Valley and Boston's Route 128, resulting in regional ffansfers of capital and further depletion
of local resources. Whatever the case, it is clear that public participation in venture capital
confronts many obstacles. In areas lacking the requisite set of supports to incubate high
technology business formation these obstacles are often likely to be insurmountable.
Our examination of the various types of venture capital complexes leads to some
unavoidable conclusions. Venture capital will not grow up everywhere, and even in those
places where it emerges, venture capital is not necessarily sufficient to generate high tech-
nology entrepreneurship. Technology-oriented venture capital complexes and their hybrid
variants are unique occurrences that grew up synergystically alongside both high technology
businesses and a wide range of supporl mechanisms for innovation and entrepreneurship.
No one factor can be isolated as causal; no series of contributing factors can be reproduced.
Huge concentrations of venture capital in New York and Chicago have stimulated virtually
nothing in the way of local high technology entrepreneurship. The inability of North Car-
olina's Research Triangle to generate a self-sustaining entrepreneurial environment or venture
capital community stands as funher witness to the difficulty of creating high technology
complexes de novo.
The challenging research agenda and the one that must be addressed is not to simply
isolate the component factors that established entrepreneurial regions possess, but to explain
the way they interact to produce synergies and to further probe the historical processes that
bring them together in the first place. This is what we have tried to do in our historical
exploration of a variety venture capital complexes. We hope we have succeeded in debunking
some of the more curious myths surrounding the role of venture capital in high technology
entrepreneurship.
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