Dear members—
Venture capital, once a niche asset class, has boomed over the past decade: From 2010 through the end of 2019, the annual number of VC deals nearly tripled. The increase was driven by solid returns over the past 25 years, as well as by rapid technological progress in areas like cloud computing and smartphones.
But the boom is on hold, due to Covid-19—and even once the pandemic ends, the landscape of startup financing may be significantly different.
Our new presentation for Quartz members is about how Covid-19 is affecting venture capital, and how quickly the sector will rebound once the pandemic ends. You can view all the presentations we produce for members—which you’re free to edit and reuse—here.
We’ve also published an article, exclusively for members, about how the pandemic is affecting startups. Most startups will be out of money within a matter of months without new funding or additional cuts, and the number of new companies being formed has plummeted.
LEAVING THE CITY
Last week, I asked if you could work from anywhere, would you live somewhere other than where you do now? Here’s some of what you wrote back:
Yes, I would. I actually had planned to use 2020 to set myself up to work from at least 3 different countries this year. Unfortunately, the travel restrictions that have been imposed by countries across the globe has even prevented me from returning to my home country at the moment.—Raquel
I currently live in the city of Seattle but what I’ve learned during the pandemic is that I want to live further in the forest & mountains and work from there. I thought what I’d miss during the pandemic was the hustle of the city. Quite the contrary, I miss hiking, space, trees and quiet. I can’t get out there now because I don’t want to damage small communities that don’t have enough medical support but, if we enter a new world where most of my job can be done remotely and I’m in the office a few days a week, I know where I’m heading.—Lisa
Yes. I lived in Manhattan. I left NYC March 26th to work from Nashville where there is less density of population and a fraction of the Covid-19 cases. I have now been given approval from my employer to relocate here and continue working from home. All that’s left is to sell my apartment in NY. No commute and no city or state income tax makes this move a no-brainer. Plus access to much better barbecue.—Unsigned
In our Need to Know: Coronavirus newsletter we asked readers a similar question:
A NEW NEW DEAL
“With each major crisis, be it war, pandemic, or major new technology, there has been a need to reinvent the relationships between individuals, businesses, and government,” writes Sandy Pentland, a professor at the MIT Media Lab, in a recent book draft on the post-pandemic economy. “It is time to refresh our ideas about the ways that our society is organized, in order to encompass these new digital means of production and rebalance the relationships between all of the stakeholders of the economy.”
I’ve been thinking about this, too, and about how Quartz should be covering it. I’m eager to hear your ideas.
✉️ What economic reforms do you hope to see enacted after the pandemic?
Here are some stories from Quartz—some from before the pandemic started—to get you thinking:
- Can B corps fix capitalism?
- How to educate the world without so much student debt
- The Dutch want to make big economic reforms with a doughnut
You can read Pentland’s (very tech-focused) ideas here. The Economics for Inclusive Prosperity project has an interesting set of briefs on this topic, too.
LIVING BRIEFING
Restaurant reopenings. Outbreak tracing. Airline passenger numbers. These are just some of the topics we’ve been covering in our member-exclusive Coronavirus Living Briefing, which tracks important information about the pandemic’s economic effects. The briefing will remember when you last visited and show any new updates in a different color to help you catch up quickly.
Best wishes for a safe and restful weekend,
Walter Frick
Membership editor, Quartz