Thread by @asanwal

This whole US share of VC is declining is a non-story

The US was the only real VC scene for a long-time. It’s share could only decline. $ in US remains very high

Silicon Valley hitting a peak has been a popular narrative we’ve seen every year @cbinsights

2/ It's also worth noting that the rise of other countries / regions has not been widespread / evenly distributed

- China is a real powerhouse in tech/VC investing
- Europe and the rest of the USA (not SV + a few other mkts) are a snoozefest in tech/VC investing

3/ Finally, if VC's center of gravity has shifted a bit from SV and the USA, this is one of the US's best exports, i.e., entrepreneurship, risk-taking, using technology to solve intractable problems, etc

4/ All those articles you see about USA heartland being next hub of tech innovation are great PR by investors, orgs who have an interest in perpetuating that narrative

Yes - there is more going on there and it's great to see, but let's be real. They are nothing burgers right now

5/ Finally, folks should exercise a bit more skepticism when they see these posts. Look at who is quoted (it's the same peeps) and evaluate critically if the commentary and data analysis is rigorous and balanced or just data to drive an agenda

6/ The org who did this study's mission is to "engage and educate regarding the critical importance of entrepreneurs and start-ups to innovation, economic growth, and job creation"

This is a good, noble thing.

But if you issue a study saying "all is good here", that's boring

7/ BTW, most of this is media taking the study and writing "sky is falling headlines" - not the org. But in any case, always worth considering the source

8/ If @cbinsights starts the "Center for Data Should Drive All Decisions" and we issue a study saying that if you don't use data, you're company will likely go bankrupt in the next 6 months, you should be skeptical (at least a little bit)

9/ Finally, since I may get some grief from folks saying I'm sort of SV fanboy

1. @cbinsights is in NYC
2. Read our newsletter. We poke at SV inane'ness all the time - cbinsights.com/newsletter
3. If tech/investing gets more global, it's great for our business. I hope it does

10/ Here's some data and a free report on 25 global tech hubs outside SV

cbinsights.com/research/repor…

Here's a graphic on where Softbank is investing in Asia. Lots of other great dataviz and data in here

11/ btw, a lot of these newer regions have spent time developing a seed / early-stage ecosystem which is necessary but not sufficient

Cuz there is not talent or $$ as they scale. That’s when SV investors come in and also when cos relocate to SV, nyc, etc