Mayfield Fund, a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, expands its operations in China and India to locally participate in the companies it funds. Roberts notes that this enables Mayfield Fund to understand the unique opportunities offered by different geographic locations, as well as adapt to the trends of the local market.
Roberts believes that with increasing use of the internet, television and mobile phones, the consumer is moving from early adoption to mainstream consumption. The customer has high expectations of new products and wants to influence technology. Venture capitalists choose to invest in companies that embrace the trends of new and younger consumers.
With consumer participation through user-generated content, blogs, real time feedback, self-promotion and web-based access, Roberts points out that a new form of marketing, viral marketing, is emerging. Viral marketing reflects a shift in power from traditional manufacturers to consumers who can now control the brand image of the product and troubleshoot on their own.
The latest business model for web-based companies is to provide services to the consumers for free. Roberts talks about the operations of such a model, in which advertising is the only source of revenue. She elaborates on how companies are learning to value the concept of 'nothing'.
For a venture capital firm, the time they choose to invest in a company is important. At Mayfield Fund, Roberts explains, they either like to come in early and get a reasonable ownership of the company or take the less risky path of entering at a later stage. However, it is hard to invest in a middle stage deal where money requirements are higher and the concept has not yet been proven.