Norrsken VC’s Post

Are we finally turning the page on uncertainty? 🤔 Optimism often mirrors how the economy is doing. And today, it’s easy to see the glass half empty: war in Europe, global uncertainties, and shifting policies from our closest allies all weigh on prosperity. But does this reality really capture the opportunities that venture capital and private equity can offer? For the first time, the EIF Equity Survey compares Europe with the US and other regions, drawing on insights from over 1,200 VC and PE managers (a record high!). And the outlook is improving. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀: ✅ Expectations for the near future are improving, even if current sentiment remains below pre Ukraine war levels. ✅ Managers’ expectations on fundraising and the exit environment have significantly improved. ✅ Europe scores strongly on innovation, talent, investment opportunities, and ambitious founders. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻: 🔴 Scale-up capital and exits are still hard to access, putting the ecosystem under strain. 🔴 Tax regimes, weak exits, and regulatory fragmentation weigh on Europe’s competitiveness. 🔴 More European companies are looking to the US, drawn by more attractive market and IPO opportunities. Europe still has hurdles to clear. But as the macroeconomic picture brightens, so does sentiment – especially near-term expectations. So, let’s build on this optimism. This survey was made with the support of Invest Europe.

Are we finally turning the page on uncertainty? 🤔 Optimism often mirrors how the economy is doing. And today, it’s easy to see the glass half empty: war in Europe, global uncertainties, and shifting policies from our closest allies all weigh on prosperity. But does this reality really capture the opportunities that venture capital and private equity can offer? For the first time, the EIF Equity Survey compares Europe with the US and other regions, drawing on insights from over 1,200 VC and PE managers (a record high!). And the outlook is improving. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀: ✅ Expectations for the near future are improving, even if current sentiment remains below pre Ukraine war levels. ✅ Managers’ expectations on fundraising and the exit environment have significantly improved. ✅ Europe scores strongly on innovation, talent, investment opportunities, and ambitious founders. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻: 🔴 Scale-up capital and exits are still hard to access, putting the ecosystem under strain. 🔴 Tax regimes, weak exits, and regulatory fragmentation weigh on Europe’s competitiveness. 🔴 More European companies are looking to the US, drawn by more attractive market and IPO opportunities. Europe still has hurdles to clear. But as the macroeconomic picture brightens, so does sentiment – especially near-term expectations. So, let’s build on this optimism. This survey was made with the support of Invest Europe.

Are we finally turning the page on uncertainty? 🤔 Optimism often mirrors how the economy is doing. And today, it’s easy to see the glass half empty: war in Europe, global uncertainties, and shifting policies from our closest allies all weigh on prosperity. But does this reality really capture the opportunities that venture capital and private equity can offer? For the first time, the EIF Equity Survey compares Europe with the US and other regions, drawing on insights from over 1,200 VC and PE managers (a record high!). And the outlook is improving. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀: ✅ Expectations for the near future are improving, even if current sentiment remains below pre Ukraine war levels. ✅ Managers’ expectations on fundraising and the exit environment have significantly improved. ✅ Europe scores strongly on innovation, talent, investment opportunities, and ambitious founders. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻: 🔴 Scale-up capital and exits are still hard to access, putting the ecosystem under strain. 🔴 Tax regimes, weak exits, and regulatory fragmentation weigh on Europe’s competitiveness. 🔴 More European companies are looking to the US, drawn by more attractive market and IPO opportunities. Europe still has hurdles to clear. But as the macroeconomic picture brightens, so does sentiment – especially near-term expectations. So, let’s build on this optimism. This survey was made with the support of Invest Europe.

The future of development isn’t just being debated in Washington this week — it’s being reimagined. As the world’s finance ministers, multilateral leaders, and development experts gather for the World Bank–IMF Annual Meetings, we’re opening the doors on October 15 and 16 to Devex Impact House, our unofficial hub for bold conversations about what’s next for global development. Over two days of live journalism, we will tackle some of the toughest questions facing the sector — from reforming multilateral institutions and financing resilient health systems to mobilizing private capital in Africa, navigating the geopolitics of critical minerals, and closing the gap between risk and resilience. Some of the decision-makers we'll be interviewing include: Nadia Calviño, President, European Investment Bank (EIB) Representative French Hill, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director, The World Bank Amy Pope, Director-General, IOM - UN Migration Angela F. Williams, JD, M.Div, CEO, United Way Worldwide Alexia Latortue, former Assistant Secretary for International Trade and Development, U.S. Treasury Carlo Monticelli, Governor, CEB - Council of Europe Development Bank Serge EKUE, President, West African Development Bank/ Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement Samaila Zubairu, President & CEO, Africa Finance Corporation Dr. Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin, former Ethiopian Minister of Health Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa CDC H.E. Mehdi Jomaa, former Prime Minister of Tunisia Kenneth Gustavsen, Managing Director, MSD Impact Venture Fund Lori Kerr, CEO, FinDev Canada Leslie Maasdorp, CEO, British International Investment Rémy Rioux, CEO, Agence Française de Développement We'll also have a special space for our Devex Pro members to connect and collaborate during members-only receptions. Follow along at #DevexImpactHouse for live updates, interview highlights, and insights. https://lnkd.in/eDrk5rve