Venture Capital Struggles: 2023 Marks Lowest Investor Returns Since 2011

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

November 19, 2024

The venture capital (VC) industry is grappling with its worst liquidity crisis in over a decade, as exits such as IPOs remain scarce in the aftermath of the boom years of 2020 and 2021. New data from PitchBook, cited by *The Wall Street Journal*, paints a stark picture of the situation in 2023.

U.S. venture capital firms invested $60 billion more into startups than they returned to their investors, marking the largest deficit in PitchBook’s 26-year history of tracking this data. Moreover, VCs returned only $26 billion in shares to their investors last year, the lowest total since 2011.

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While exits have slowed to a trickle, the industry has paradoxically seen record-high investment levels in recent years. The past three years collectively recorded the largest annual totals of venture funding in history, despite the limited liquidity events.

There is hope that the situation could improve in 2024. Companies such as Klarna and ServiceTitan are reportedly preparing IPOs, which may help reopen the exit market and begin to reduce the record deficit. For now, however, the VC industry faces mounting challenges in balancing its high levels of investment with its need to deliver returns to investors.

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Foreign Firms Contribute €3.5 Billion To Cyprus Economy In 2023

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

November 12, 2025

Recent Eurostat data reveals that Cyprus remains an outlier within the European Union, where foreign-controlled companies contribute minimally to the nation’s employment figures and economic output. While these enterprises have a substantial impact in other member states, in Cyprus they account for only 10 percent of all jobs, a figure comparable only to Italy and marginally higher than Greece’s 8 percent.

Employment Impact

The report highlights that foreign-controlled companies in Cyprus employ 32,119 individuals out of a total workforce that, across the EU, reaches 24,145,727. In contrast, countries such as Luxembourg boast a 45 percent job share in foreign-controlled firms, with Slovakia and the Czech Republic following closely at 28 percent.

Economic Output Analysis

In terms of economic contribution, these enterprises generated a total value added of €3.5 billion in Cyprus, a small fraction compared to the overall EU total of €2.39 trillion. Notably, Ireland leads with 71 percent of its value added stemming from foreign-controlled firms, followed by Luxembourg at 61 percent and Slovakia at 50 percent. On the lower end, France, Italy, Greece, and Germany exhibit values below 20 percent.

Domestic Versus Foreign Ownership

The data underscores Cyprus’s heavy reliance on domestically controlled enterprises for both employment and economic output. However, it is important to note that certain businesses might be owned by foreign nationals who have established companies under Cypriot jurisdiction. As a result, these firms are classified as domestically controlled despite having foreign ownership or management components.

Conclusion

This analysis emphasizes the unique role that foreign-controlled enterprises play within the Cypriot economy. While their overall impact is limited compared to some EU counterparts, the presence of these companies continues to contribute significantly to the island’s economic landscape.

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