March 17, 2020

What we’re getting right and wrong about coronavirus and VC investing

It has only been nine days since I wrote an overview of the state of VC investing during the rise of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

And what a week it has been: The markets have triggered circuit breakers for an unprecedented third time, a global economic depression seems in the offing and the Trump administration is now proposing upwards of $1 trillion in fiscal stimulus on top of the Fed’s hundreds of billions of dollars in quantitative easing.

My God, there is so much news.

The dollars and cents of raising VC during the coronavirus pandemic

Given how much has changed in just the past few days, I wanted to revisit my original advice and go over what is still true, what has turned out to be wrong and what is trending one way or the other as events unfold.

Let’s get started.

As I have said ad nauseam this year, VCs are in a hyper-competitive market like we have never seen before. There are more VCs, VC firms and VC dollars in more geos worldwide prowling for the next startup than ever.

The coronavirus outbreak has not changed this basic thesis in the market.

Start with the problem your technology is causing.