Is the Boston venture capital community losing some of its edge? Vinit Nijhawan is concerned it might be. Starting at noon today, a select group of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, venture fund investors, and others will join the Xconomist for an invitation-only workshop at Boston University’s School of Management to take a critical look at the local venture climate — and its future.
The confab is billed as Exploring Regional Venture Capital Models, but it really seems focused on East Coast vs. West Coast venture styles. I spoke with Nijhawan last night about what he has in mind for the off-the-record session, which will include a luncheon keynote by Highland Capital Partners’ Paul Maeder and panels on IT, cleantech, and health care investing. “There’s this general feeling that the Boston-area venture capital ecosystem is in decline relative to Silicon Valley, and the purpose of this workshop really is to debate that,” he told me.
Even if you’re on the side that says Boston’s keeping pace just fine, you have to believe there are ways to make the local venture system work better. One of his most important goals, Nijhawan says, “is to see if we can get some actionable policy coming out of the workshop.”X What, he wants to know, can universities, state government, and venture firms do to make venture work better in this area?
