Last night the venture capital industry celebrated its annual awards-giving at the Investor Allstars event. And despite the historically low levels of M&A and IPO activity, there still appears to be some money for entrepreneurs with good ideas.
Spotify, the popular music streaming service, won the deal of the year, and amid the loud thumping of music, entrepreneurs stepped up to the microphone to inspire with their own tales of making money.
Against the backdrop of stagnant markets, some personal success stories are exactly what people need to hear, in order to remind them that business is not all about corporate excess and bankers’ bonuses but about individuals too. Entrepreneurs often hate details of their wealth generation being made public because money has become such a dirty word. But this country desperately needs inspirational leaders to encourage others to start their own companies and drive the economic revival.
Last night was all about rewarding success rather than putting it down. More of this please.