I normally avoid back-slapping awards events like the plague, but I have to confess that last night's EVCJ Awards Dinner at the Dorchester was both grand and very very entertaining. Most of the amusement was thanks to Scottish comedian and political impressionist Rory Bremner, who not only delivered what you'd expect from a £20k-a-pop after-dinner speaker, but thankfully stayed on to present the actual awards.
The Euro VC Journal is to be commended for that decision, as it took the dread out of the ritual handing over lucites for Law Firm of the Year, Mezzanine Provide of the Year, etc. Only a total outsider to the industry like Bremmer could make us all guffaw at our own ridiclulous jargon: "Fundraising of the Year? The nominees...3i Eurofund V, Gresham 4, Mercapital Spanish Buyout Fund III, Nightmare on Elm Street VII..."
Hilarity aside, we (Kennet) had a good reason to be there. One of the companies we sold last year was awarded Venture Realisation of the Year: Cramer Systems, a great story of a global software business built from a European base, which I've written about in the past. Here is the story as told by the EVC Journal: Download evcjventure_realisation_of_the_year_technology_cramer.pdf.
Well done on the award. It's interesting to see entrepreneurs now making a big push into the VC world. There is no mention of Mark Farmer whom I believe was also a co-founder of Cramer and now a Partner at Eden Ventures.
Well done again
Posted by: Yousuf Khan | February 15, 2007 at 15:29