Gloom Lifts at VC Conference

The Miami Herald

By Nancy Dahlberg

It’s been a tough decade for the venture capital industry, but at the Florida Venture Capital Conference this week in Orlando, the mood was decidedly sunny.

“Contrary to the headlines, the ecosystem is working,” said John Taylor, head of research at the National Venture Capital Association. It was a record year for seed and early stage deals in 2013, and first-time financings were up, both nationally and in Florida. Another positive sign nationally: There was a sharp increase in initial public offerings in 2013; of the 82 IPOs, 42 were in biotech, where Florida has a number of companies….

….“Deal flow has been strong. Some of our most successful companies were founded by entrepreneurs that lived in an industry for awhile and saw a problem that needed to be solved,” said Travis Milks of Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners. “It’s a favorable time to take those risks. We’re very excited about the outlook.”….

Click here for full article