Against the odds, 2020 was an extraordinarily good year for tech start-ups and venture capitalists. This year is going to be even better.
A boom in initial public offerings has handed some of the biggest names in venture capital lucrative exits. Add in low interest rates, stock markets at record highs, optimism surrounding economic recovery and the rapid digital transformation of multiple sectors and money is flowing freely. The first quarter of 2021 set a new record for global venture funding, with $125bn raised around the world, according to data from Crunchbase. Early-stage funding rose by almost half compared with the previous quarter, to more than $35bn.
Doom-laden warnings of down rounds and a freeze on funding last year have been squashed. Sequoia Capital last spring told companies in its portfolio that private financings could soften “significantly”, calling coronavirus the black swan of 2020. Yet funding and listing postponements were shortlived. Even start-ups without sales, aka “pre-revenue” companies such as aerospace start-up Archer Aviation, are in demand thanks to the rise in special purpose acquisition companies (Spacs) searching for targets.