But some people clearly possess the ability to see a square inch of a complex tapestry and infer yards. That notion of inferences lies behind one of this month's features. Our theory in doing such a story is that readers can learn about the shape of future technology offerings by looking at some of the bets venture funders are making today. Consequently, this article is just the first of what we expect will be samplings of the current drift of venture money. In them we will look at the kinds of technology problems that venture capitalists think most urgently need to be solved.
Venture funding is an interesting business.
A surprising statistic in this month's feature speaks either to the preternatural caution of VCs or to the scarcity of good ideas. According to J. Neil Weintraut, the founder of 21st Century Internet Venture Partners, out of 6,000 funding proposals his firm has reviewed so far, only 4 have been funded. I suppose that when a technology vendor comes into your shop and brags about getting some dough out of 21st Century, you can actually be impressed. We hope you find this kind of coverage useful. Maybe you can let us know what pain your business is experiencing, and we can attempt to seek out the embryonic technology-based cure.