Analysis

March 3, 2021

Can startups grow without venture capital?

Not all startups want to take VC funding. But what are their alternatives in Europe?


Headlines about large valuations and big funding rounds hide the fact that a huge number of venture-backed startups fail. And yet, that’s part of the game plan: most VCs expect three out of 10 of their investments to fail completely. This leads to VCs hedging their bets on one or two startups and reserving follow-up funding for them. It also leads to pressure to grow quickly, take further investment and exit. 

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cofounders of clearbanc
Clearbanc cofounders Andrew D'Souza and Michele Romanow
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Fully Remote Earnest Capital team on Zoom
The fully remote Earnest Capital team
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Anisah Osman Britton

Anisah Osman Britton is coauthor of Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

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