National Venture Capital Association Releases Recommendations to Restore Liquidity in the U.S. Venture Capital Industry

Market Wire, April, 2009

The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) kicked off its 2009 Annual Meeting today by unveiling a set of recommendations aimed at addressing the capital markets crisis for venture-backed companies in the United States. During the last decade, the number of initial public offerings (IPOs) by venture-backed companies has declined to alarmingly low levels, culminating in the 2008 drought when only six companies entered the public markets. Given the proven contribution of venture-backed companies to America's economic growth, the NVCA sought analysis and recommendations from leaders throughout the capital markets ecosystem over the last several months. The resulting set of proposals looks to the venture capital industry, investment banking, accounting professions, law firms, stock exchanges and the government to enact measures to restore a vibrant IPO environment once the overall economy stabilizes.

The initiative was spearheaded by NVCA chairman and co-founder and general partner at DCM , Dixon Doll, who articulated the important work that has both been completed and has yet to be done:

"On behalf of the NVCA, I want to commend the group of thought leaders who continue to support us in our efforts to assess and address a situation that has become untenable for venture-backed companies and the U.S. economy. The consensus is that the most significant improvement to our capital markets will only be achieved if both the private sector and the government address the breakdowns that have occurred within their respective systems. While there are regulatory and legislative avenues to explore, the venture capital industry recognizes that we can affect positive change by adjusting the way we do business and are willing to do so to enact this change," said Doll.

Venture-Backed Public Companies Are Critical to U.S. Economic Growth

The revitalization of the venture-backed IPO market is critical to U.S. economic recovery and to the ongoing viability of America's competitiveness. In a report to be released in early May, Global Insight estimates that in 2008 public companies that were once venture-backed accounted for more than 12 million U.S. jobs and $2.9 trillion in revenues, which equates to 21 percent of U.S. GDP. Further, it is estimated that 92 percent of job growth at these companies occurs once the company enters the public markets.

"This capital markets issue is not just a venture capital industry problem; it is a U.S. economic concern," said Mark Heesen, president of the NVCA. "If America wants to maintain its economic leadership and continue to grow and innovate, we must re-invigorate the public markets and strive towards healthier IPO levels similar to that which our country enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s. Without this activity, we can expect job growth to disappear over time."

The NVCA Four Pillar Plan to Restore the Venture-Backed IPO Market

At the core of the issue is a recognition that today's market environment is challenging with respect to the issuance of small cap IPOs. There are multiple reasons as to why this is the case including the high costs of going public, the constituents involved in the process, and the restrictions placed on potential public companies. The NVCA recommendations, which seek to address these issues, comprise four categories or pillars, two which focus on changing behavior in the venture capital market and two which involve the government exploring policies conducive to venture-backed IPOs.

Pillar I: Ecosystem Partners

Within the last decade, venture-backed companies have been faced with fewer choices as it relates to investment banks and accounting firms that will assist in the IPO process. While the major investment banks continue to operate, the "four horsemen" boutique investment banks of the 1990s (Alex Brown, Hambrecht & Quist, Montgomery Securities, and Robertson Stephens), which specialized in IPOs of venture-backed companies, no longer exist. Further, the fall of Arthur Andersen and the resulting pressure placed on the Big Four accounting firms has, in many markets, left a void in terms of quality auditing services available for these smaller companies.

Against this backdrop, the NVCA believes that the venture capital industry must do more to promote alternative ecosystem partners while engaging with existing members to identify ways to better serve the needs of emerging growth companies. The Association has begun to engage in talks with boutique and major investment banks as well as the Big Four and other public accounting firms about how they can also better serve the needs of small cap companies. The NVCA also intends to encourage the use of a broader array of service providers such as the "Global Six" including Deloitte LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, Grant Thornton LLP, KPMG LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and BDO Seidman LLP.

Pillar II: Enhanced Liquidity Paths

There is consensus among many within the capital markets ecosystem that the distribution system that connects sellers and buyers of venture-backed company new issues is broken. There are many drivers behind this disconnect including mismatched expectations in terms of issue size, the lack of sell side analysts, and the propensity of hedge funds to buy and sell stock quickly. All of these factors contribute to a lack of an adequate distribution channel and considerable post-IPO market volatility.