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RVC SmartFuture: the LP Unlimited Conference showed the actuality of private capital attracting to venture sphere

Within the frames of “Open Innovations” Forum, the LP Unlimited Conference was conducted for existing and potential investors in technological start-ups – Limited Partners и General Partners. The prospects for private and corporate investments attraction in venture capital industry was under discussion at the Conference.

Ehud Geller, Founder & Managing Partner of Medica Venture Partners, noted that the state participation in venture projects – is a global trend. The expert thinks that there is growing innovation gap between countries in the world: the leading innovation countries are in the lead more and more, leaving behind the countries having no developed innovation sphere. Investments in innovations are perceived by the states as inputs in their own competitiveness on the global arena.

Ehud Geller emphasized that, in the West, the traditionally conservative investors including insurance companies, pension funds and family offices become more and more concerned in venture capital sphere. Similar view was given by another speaker of the conference – Larry Ashebrook, CEO and Founder at Gentry Financial Corporation, who said that from 15% to 20% of money of the family offices’ clients are being directed to the alternative venture investments.

According to Mikhail Zygankov, general manager of the investment portfolio and RVC Board member, RVC is actively investing in venture projects, and the company’s goal is attraction of private investors to cooperation in the venture capital field.

Mikhail Chuchkevich, managing partner of Bright Capital fund, noted that family offices in Russia are being organized by the first generation entrepreneurs which manage their savings themselves. They don’t trust management companies and believe that they are good managers themselves. At the same time, their children that will inherit the capital will hire professional managers in order to gain more profits, and venture capital may become one of the instruments for deriving big income.

At the panel discussion “General Partnership: Story of Success” the experts came to conclusion that it was too early to speak about successful exits from innovation start-ups in Russia: they are too young, and the oldest of them is younger than 5 years. In several years outlook, the projects that have received investments from the institutes of development – RVC, RUSNANO, Skolkovo – will be offered to investors, and the first venture capital divestment will be realized.

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