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Boston venture capitalists on... The IPO market, deals they regret not doing, sectors they're interested in, and the health of the Boston ecosystem (with audio and photos)

Posted by Scott Kirsner January 18, 2012 10:39 AM

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vcpanel2012.jpg

By Scott Kirsner, Globe Columnist

I moderated a panel of venture capitalists last night at the historic Vilna Shul on Beacon Hill, talking about what mattered most in tech and VC last year, and what they expect to see in 2012.

I'm posting the audio below; it runs for about an hour. The quality is good, though audience questions are tough to hear. The speakers started off in this order: Fred Destin of Atlas Venture, Jonathan Seelig from GlobeSpan Capital Partners, Rob Go from NextView, and Jo Tango from Kepha Partners.

Among the questions I asked:

  • What was your most successful investment, and what was a deal you didn't do and lived to regret? (Among the companies they passed on: Groupon, lululemon athletica, and HubSpot.)
  • What was the most important thing that happened in 2011, in the world of tech and venture capital?
  • How would you assess the health of the Boston VC scene?
  • How can Boston produce more individual angel investors, and be less reliant on venture capital firms?
  • What themes or sectors are you interested in right now?
  • What happens to all the start-ups that have done $1 million seed rounds over the last two or three years?

The audience asked about the way the structure of VC firms might change... the attitude toward investing in consumer Internet companies in Boston... whether angel groups are passé...and the Stop Online Privacy Act.

Here is a slide show of the photos that Dan Bricklin shot at the event:



Kyle Alspach of the Boston Business Journal wrote two pieces about the event: on Destin's comments about angel groups and the deals the VCs passed on.

And here's the audio. You can click play, or click "mp3" to download the file for later listening.

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About Scott Kirsner Scott Kirsner was part of the team that launched Boston.com in 1995, and has been writing a column for the Globe since 2000. His work has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, and Variety. Scott is also the author of the books "Fans, Friends & Followers" and "Inventing the Movies," was the editor of "The Convergence Guide: Life Sciences in New England," and was a contributor to "The Good City: Writers Explore 21st Century Boston." Scott also helps organize several local events on entrepreneurship, including the Nantucket Conference and Future Forward. Here's some background on how Scott decides what to cover, and how to pitch him a story idea.

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