Many big-name companies such as Apple, Rovio (of Angry Birds fame), Spotify, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Starbucks would never have existed, or certainly never have grown so big, without venture capital. “Venture capital is vitally important for start-up companies that have an idea or perhaps even a prototype, but often no finished product that they can put onto the market,” explains David Devigne, whose doctoral research under Sophie Manigart, professor and expert in venture capital, investigated cross-border venture capitalists and their portfolio companies in Europe. This research has shown that businesses need to think carefully about which financier they take on board. This is because the origin of the capital affects the company’s success.