The New York Times has an noteworthy piece in today’s paper “Too Much Capital: Why It Is Getting Harder to Find a Good Investment”

For entrepreneurs out there, this is great. Let the venture capitalists worry about the capital problem. They’re getting flooded with cash from their own desperate investors, and ancedotal evidence suggests that VCs are getting better terms — negotiating to keep a higher percentage of profits from their investments, vis-a-vis their own investors. Gary Morgenthaler, partner at Morgenthaler Ventures, told us yesterday: “Life’s a bowl of cherries right now.” But it means they’re eager to keep investing in good ideas. As the NYT article suggests, there are just not enough ideas out there to supply all that demand. So if you think you’ve got a good idea, you’re marginally more likely to raise more money now.

True, the logic of the NYT column meanders at times, but gist of it matches with things we’ve been contemplating for some time: Evidence of the capital glut can be seen in interest rates. Market rates are low, and even when central banks set out to raise short-term rates, longer-term rates are slow to move. Little additional yield is available to those who buy very risky bonds. For the same reason, stock prices are high. Profit disappointments may not cause the stock market to plunge, since the capital will have to go somewhere.

Or are we reading this entirely wrong? Feedback?

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  1. April 3rd, 2005
    7:52 pm

    TJ's Weblog said:

    Missed good links

    I have not checked most of my newsfeeds for 2-3 weeks (too much sun in California :-): But there are some great posts worth sheding light on: - Hummer Winblad - Our Fund Was “A Complete Disaster” - MySpace with…

3 Comments

  1. March 25th, 2005
    10:35 am

    jollygoodfellow said:

    These articles reflect more on VCs own bizarre emotions than the realities of startup investiment. VCs are looking for risk free investments in startups these days, which of course, don’t exist.

    There is too much capital in a fear-dominated environment as we are in now. When greed comes back, they will see good investments everywhere, like a few years before.

  2. March 25th, 2005
    11:31 pm

    Derek W said:

    I’m wondering when the VCs are going to realize that to get more good deal flow that they’re going to have to start taking more early risks. With Paul Graham taking on all comers and investing in any good idea he reads about with $18k of seed money, he’s going to be in the catbird seat when a few of these turn out.

  3. March 26th, 2005
    12:31 pm

    Carlos N Velez said:

    Derek W is absolutely right. This is not a “chicken or egg” situation at all. Deal flow does not “come” to VCs, it is “driven” by those with capital willing to seek out fresh ideas and nurture them. Proactive investors win in the end.

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