• Why did US venture capital firms decide to expand their business to Europe?
• Why is it said that the investment environment in Europe has changed and will continue to improve soon?
• Why is it said that there are opportunities for US venture capital firms?
• Why should US firms set up offices locally in Europe?
• What should one be aware of if he/she intends to do business in a strange place?
• Why is London considered an ideal place for US firms to start business?
• What phases are involved in an investment life cycle?
• What sectors appeal to US venture capital firms?
• Coming to the party late can have its advantage. What does it mean and why?
• What are some of the important elements a venture capital firm should take into account when assessing a company’s potentials?
• Why shouldn’t American firms underestimate their European counterparts?
• What kind of companies would European firms make investment in, and what kind would American firms expand their business?
• What probably is Silicon Valley style investing?
• What is much lower compared with the situation in the United States?

• 他们在筹款帮助那些因暴风雪受灾的人们。(raise)
• 他让玛丽自己寻路回家。 (leave someone to do something)
• 公司期待着在今后两年增加其在美国的销售额。 (look to)
• 我们需要把开发自然资源的工作做得更好。(exploit)
• 她利用她的知识和经验得到一份新的报酬更高的工作。(capitalize on)
• 那个篮球队近来似乎失去了它的竞赛优势。(competitive)
• 他告诉她说，他渴望帮助她的学业。(be keen to do something)
• 有许多事需要优先考虑，但是降低通货膨胀是重中之重。(paramount)
• 我们的计算机必须留出来，专门用作网络服务器。(dedicated)
• 消费者的收入增加了，因此珠宝的销售也增加了。(with the consequence that)
• 他说这些建议必须得到工程部的批准。(approve)
• 我认为，他们既然没有对邀请作出回复就不会来了。 (presume)
• 他们估计那场暴风雪的损失在五亿元人民币。(assess)
• 这个信息不但可以说不充分，简直可以说是误导。(not to say)
• 大学毕业生今年的就业前景不看好。(prospect)

In general, venture capitalists are most interested in supporting companies with low current valuations, but with good opportunities to achieve future profits in the range of 30 percent annually. Most attractive are innovative companies in rapidly accelerating industries with few competitors. Ideally, the company and its product or service will have some unique, marketable feature to distinguish it from imitators.

Venture capital organizations typically reject 90 percent or more of proposals quickly because they are deemed a poor fit with the firm's priorities and policies. They then investigate the remaining 10 percent of the proposals very carefully and at considerable expense. Whereas banks tend to focus on companies' past performance when evaluating them for loans, venture capital firms tend to focus instead on their future potential. As a result, venture capital organizations will examine the features of a small business's product, the size of its markets, and its projected earnings.

As part of the detailed investigation, a venture capital organization may hire consultants to evaluate highly technical products. They also may contact a company's customers and suppliers in order to obtain information about the market size and the company's competitive position. Many will also hire an auditor to confirm the financial position of the company, and an attorney to check the legal form and registration of the business. Perhaps the most important factor in a venture capital organization's evaluation of a small business as a potential investment is the background and competence of the small business's management.