Will LEPs leap to the rescue?

Earlier this year we voiced concern as to whether the winding down of the Regional Development Agency (RDA) network might exacerbate the venture capital funding gap. In its place, the government is ‘devolving’ responsibility to a new network of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), “locally-owned partnerships between local authorities and businesses”. However, the 30 so far approved do not appear to have got off to the most propitious start, judging by the flurry of press headlines such as that in last month’s FT, Business sounds warning on local partnerships.

In the latest edition of TechMarketView IndustryViews PE/VC Review, we start to take a closer look at this issue, with the first of a series of interviews with the various ‘stakeholders’: Rory Earley, CEO of Capital for Enterprise Ltd, the arm’s length body that oversees venture funding on behalf of the government, and Alasdair Greig, Director at VC fund Northstar Ventures, which has strong ties with the One North East RDA.

We also take our regular look at VC and private equity investments in UK software and IT services companies over 2010.

IndustryViews PE/VC Review Q4 & 2010 is available for download here for TechMarketView Foundation Service clients.

Posted by HotViews Editor at '07:55'