Mary Lisbeth D’Amico

Czechoslovakia’s development authorities are to win a reputation for the country as a magnet for emerging biotech.

The climate for R&D-based start-ups in Central and Eastern Europe should be improving. But there’s still a way to go, writes Mary Lisbeth D’Amico.

With high oil prices showing no sign of quitting, "cleantech" is the new darling VC investment sector. But, asks Mary Lisbeth D'Amico, is the market more froth than substance?

Venture capital firms used to moan that business angels were unprofessional and hard to work with. But Europe's new breed of angel investor networks appears anything but that, says Mary Lisbeth D'Amico

The concept of angel investing - in which individuals devote both their time and money to nurturing young companies - has evolved over the past decade from an unknown or poorly understand phenomena in many parts of Europe to an established form of finance.

As expected, the IPO markets in Europe made their strongest showing in several years in 2005 and have even topped the amount of money raised in the U.S., according to figures released today by PricewaterhouseCoopers in London.

European exchanges are opening back up for riskier ventures, and experts expect the trend to continue. But trade-sales should still dominate, says Mary Lisbeth D'Amico.

A new Swedish company backed by government and business angels aims to create an entire funding ecosystem for young companies until they become ready for venture capital.