My best wishes to all CEOs, business leaders and founders, especially to the ones who raised cash in 2021, once, twice or even three times.
As tempting as it may be, I am not referring to the +$6B spent in 2021 by billionaires for “space tourism” that could have been used towards (slightly) more sustainable causes (Global Citizen article).
The staggering +$625B invested by VCs in 2021 in Start-ups and Scale-ups, more than doubling the 2020 record amount, represents more than Sweden GDP (24th largest country in the world) with sometimes rocketing valuation.
The sky may not be the limit so let’s go for the moon!
As described by professionals in the Wired article, with less than a week to fully complete a deal, fundraising turns into a “shotgun wedding”. The following statement by VC partner says it all “I won’t be surprised if there is a big hangover in 2022 for many who wake up and realize they didn’t know what they were signing up for.” especially when emphasizing that “venture capital dollars are so easy to get in 2021, but at the same time, it’s harder than ever to get customers or clients to care about your business.”
Ultimately, I can only offer my best wishes for 2022 to all CEOs, leaders and founders who will have to deliver the expected growth alongside building (and securing) the right people around them while staying in tune with their vision, strategy and customers. A nice opportunity to assert their leadership.
So keep a cool head and look straight ahead, I have faith in you and more if needed !