An SSTI analysis of exits occurring during the second quarter by a number of venture development organizations reveals equity investment in innovation companies undertaken as strategic public-private partnerships for regional growth can yield more for their communities than just hitting the return on investment expectations of seed and traditional venture capital. The recent exits highlighted below reveal a variety of economic development impacts resulting from effective innovation investment strategies, including:
- Increased competitiveness and growth of local firms through mergers and acquisition;
- New market entry and new product lines for existing manufacturers;
- Opportunities to broaden wealth generation among wider population;
- Foreign direct investment and company relocation; and of course,
- Wealth generation, tax revenues and job growth within the local community.
Note: this is SSTI’s second look at recent VDO exits; selected first quarter 2017 exits for VDOs are available here. Second quarter highlights include: