What Is the Impact of Dry Powder Levels on Startup Investment Momentum?

Venture capital investors in the US have amassed a record-breaking $290 billion “dry powder” fund ready to ignite a new wave of tech startups.1 Despite the cautiousness warranted by such an investment, if handled wisely, this could prove to be highly lucrative given current valuations have significantly normalized.

Why has the tech industry seen such changes, and what does it mean for investors? This market environment presents an unprecedented opportunity.

Tech stocks have weathered a turbulent year.

Since last January, the Nasdaq Composite Index has dropped 32%, resulting in a $2.3 trillion loss in market value for just four stocks – Meta, Amazon, Netflix and Google (down 63%, 45%, 48% and 34% respectively). This decline is 1.4 times larger than the cumulative market capitalization of all 40 companies on Germany’s largest stock exchange index – TecDAX.

The current economic climate has been termed the “startup apocalypse” due to a freeze in funds, soaring layoffs, inflation, and a recession.

In 2021, cloud software company valuations soared to 20x NTM revenues; however, a correction in 2022 brought them back down to more normalized levels of 5-10x.

Private-market startups felt the impact of last year’s downturn, as average Series C round valuations dropped from $500 million in Q4 2021 to $336 million in Q2 2022 – a 33% decrease.

Despite a tough climate due to lack of funding, layoffs, inflation and recession labeled as the “startup apocalypse” by some pundits, tech trends are providing signs of hope.

Cloud and AI have driven tech trends forward, thanks to the dramatic changes in how we work. Organizations are investing in digital infrastructure and processes to stay competitive for the future.