Google to give Start-ups Money

Google has a new venture capital fund.  What??  Google is now getting into venture capital?  Didn’t they just lay off 200 people because of restructuring?  Well today Google announced Google Ventures.  Now I reserve the right, as a woman, to change my mind at any time.  For now, I think this will be a very good thing.  If Google handles this well it could bring major support to new and innovative companies. Google states, “By borrowing the best practices of top-tier, financially focused venture capital firms and bringing to bear Google’s unique technical expertise and brand, we think we can find young companies with truly awesome potential and encourage their development into successful businesses.”

Google also concedes that times are tough right now, and that in their opinion it is an ideal time to invest.  This will surely be great news for the inspired and dreamy.  Can you even imagine your dream start-up being backed by Google?  Most would say these are horrible times for the venture capital industry, but just as I have been preaching not to cut your marketing budget when your competitors are…. Google takes on this theory.  While everyone else is getting out, now is the time to get in!

According to Google’s blog they will not limit this to just internet start ups!  They state, ““We’ll be focusing on early stage investments across a diverse range of industries, including consumer Internet, software, clean-tech, bio-tech, health care and, no doubt, other areas we haven’t thought of yet. Central to our effort will be our fellow Googlers, whom we view as a critically important resource to help educate us about potential investments areas and evaluate specific companies.”

Diversify.  Isn’t that what all experts say you should do in a down economy?   Looks like Google has been listening.  It will be very interesting to see what happens as these new and innovative companies start to gather the resources needed to make the jump and play with the big boys.  I just hope they maintain their integrity.  Make sure you read all the fine print before sending them your proprietary information too.  Remember most investors protect themselves and not the start-ups they are claiming to help.

-Kimberly Veautour

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Tags: Google News, Kimberly Veautour, Social Media News, Technology News