Monday, December 17, 2012

Trouble In Venture Capital Land: VCs, or Consultant?

There's been a lot of turmoil in the land of venture capital in recent years, and it looks like those troubles don't seem to have gone away, at least according to local angel Hall T. Martin. Martin, an angel investor known for his role at the Texas Open Angel Network and who runs Texas Entrepreneur Networks, said in a blog post today that he's begun seeing local venture capitalists who are acting more like consultants rather than investors. Martin said that the "new normal" for VCs is to "form a team who provides strategic growth consulting or financial services, with a small fund on the side." The model is a big change from the years when investors would raise a significant amount of capital, and invest those on behalf of their limited partners.