Startups

Since it was founded just before the turn of the millennium, cloud-computing company Salesforce has gone from strength to strength. Its success has, over the past couple of years, led to a high degree of speculation about a potential takeover, with Microsoft thought to have come closest to agreeing a deal with the San Francisco-based firm last spring.

Given where it is headquartered, it should come as little surprise that Silicon Valley Bank has continued to lead the field when it comes to catering for the venture capital and corporate venturing markets.

US-based law firm DLA Piper has a specialised international practice dedicated to emerging growth and venture capital, with 200 lawyers in the US and 400 around the world who specifically serve entrepreneurs, technology companies and venture funds by focusing on private equity and venture capital transactions.

In the world of venture capital, where relationships and professional networks have a hugely important role, it might come as a surprise to learn that cold calling still has a part to play.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then IBM paid GE Ventures the highest compliment earlier this year when it hired George Ugras as the new head of IBM Ventures.