2020 Global
Startup Outlook
Key insights from the Silicon Valley Bank
Startup Outlook Survey
Silicon Valley Bank is pleased to present our 11th annual Startup Outlook Report,
capturing entrepreneurs’ perspectives on the health of the innovation economy.
For our 2020 report, we drew on 1,100 responses from technology and healthcare
founders and executives based in the US, the UK, China and Canada.
The headline. Two-thirds of these entrepreneurs tell us they expect business
conditions to improve in 2020, underscoring the resiliency of the innovation
sector. This level of condence has essentially remained unchanged over the past
few annual surveys, even in the face of shiing economic and political headwinds
and increasing scrutiny of the tech sector.
The 2020 results underscore a few key themes. There’s rarely been a better time
to be an entrepreneur; almost all are planning to hire, and most of those who
are attempting to raise capital report that they are successful. In many ways,
technology has reduced the cost of entry, allowing companies to more quickly solve
for product-market t or move on.
But there’s another part to the story. As technology becomes embedded in nearly
everything we do, the debates grow louder over who should have access to tech
jobs and why most leadership roles still go to white males. Front and center now at
the highest levels of many governments are discussions about how to handle data
privacy and cybersecurity issues. And more than ever, we are all talking about the
real-world impacts of the technology revolution.
Entrepreneurs are not ones to shy away from tough problems; in fact, they thrive
on the pursuit of solutions. We do this report every year with the goal of helping
startups, policymakers and the public understand what drives the innovation
economy, and we hope you nd useful information that can help you succeed in
2020. Let us know what you think.
Greg Becker
CEO, Silicon Valley Bank
PERSPECTIVE FROM SVB’S CEO
Startups see bright conditions in 2020
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 2
Two-thirds
of startups
say 2020 will
be better
The innovation economy
continuously adapts to change,
and entrepreneurs are optimistic
by nature. Despite the dramatic
political and economic transitions
under way, startups consistently
share a positive forecast for
improving business conditions.
In addition, 79% of startups plan
to hire in 2020, underscoring their
critical role as job creators.
Describe your outlook for business conditions for
your company in the coming year.
Will be better Will be the same Will be worse
Percentage that plan to hire
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 3
2019
2018
2020
67% 24% 9%
63% 28% 9%
65% 30%
5
%
76%
79%
77%
2019
2018
2020
Capital
abounds, but
it’s not easy
to access
While there is no shortage of
investors, they are increasingly
selective about how and when to
invest. Just 12% of startups say
it’s getting easier to raise funding,
while 41% say it is getting harder.
Even so, for those startups that
sought capital in 2019, all but
11% were successful, and 56%
said they raised their most recent
round in less than six months.
What is your view of the current fundraising
environment for companies like yours?
12%
Getting
easier
41%
Getting
harder
47%
No
change
“ As an early-stage, diverse (with women and minority co-founders)
medtech company, access to pre–Series A and A nancing
is a monumental challenge.”
Co-founder, US medical device company
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 4
Startup
capital comes
from many
sources
With the rise of non-traditional
sources of capital, startups report
that they are tapping a variety of
funders. Venture capital, however,
was still the top source for those
that recently raised capital.
If you raised private capital in 2019, what was the primary
source of funding?
42%
Venture
capital
16%
Friends
and family
11%
Corporate
venture
investor
7%
Angel
group
7%
Private
equity
5%
Family
oce
12%
Other*
*Other includes seed venture rm, accelerator/incubator, government grant, bank debt, crowdfunding, ICO and IPO.
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 5
Venture
capital still
dominates
Startups again expect venture
capital to be their next source
of funding. Interestingly, 12%
of startups do not plan to raise
money in the near future but to
instead rely on organic growth.
What do you expect your next source of funding to be?
Venture
capital
36%
12%
10%
8%
7%
11%
Corporate
venture investor
Organic growth —
no need for funds
Private equity
Family oce
Friends and family
Other*
Angel group
*Other includes accelerator/incubator, crowdfunding, merger, government grant, IPO and ICO.
4% 4%
Bank debt
Seed venture rm
4% 4%
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 6
Most startups
expect to
be acquired
While headlines both trumpet and
criticize recent IPOs, the fact is
most entrepreneurs never expect
to reach a public market exit
(except in China, where an IPO is
typically the top goal). And in this
environment, it’s sometimes hard
to pinpoint a long-term goal.
What is the realistic long-term goal for your company?
Go public
via an IPO
Be acquired Remain
private
Don’t know/
prefer not to say
US
UK
China
Canada
58% 17%
14%
11%
58% 18% 11% 13%
14% 46% 21% 19%
60% 16% 20% 4%
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 7
Access
to talent is
top public
policy issue
Finding skilled talent is a top
concern in many innovation hubs.
What are the three most important public policy issues
aecting companies like yours?
29%
Access to talent
(immigration
and education)
Cybersecurity Corporate
taxes
50%
Consumer
privacy
International
trade
26%
29%
26%
“ Talent ‘wars’ continue
to drive up costs
and make scaling
more dicult.”
VP of nance,
US cybersecurity company
“ Cybersecurity and data sovereignty need to be addressed systematically
by Canada for us to just maintain our standing in the world.”
Executive, Canadian tech company
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 8
Many startups
say hiring is
getting harder
Low unemployment rates, competition
for top talent, stier immigration rules
and the high cost of living in global
tech hubs combine to make hiring
talent dicult. Demand is highest for
development and R&D roles.
What are the top three skills you are hiring for?
53%
Technical
54%
Sales
Product
development/R&D
64%
How would you describe the hiring environment
compared with last year?
16%
Easier
45%
Harder
39%
No change
“ We should be open to
educating everyone, and
talented people should be
allowed to stay and work
in the US.”
Co-founder, US ntech company
“ Access to EU talent and
being a welcoming place are
key for the UK to remain
a technology leader.”
VP of nance,
UK cybersecurity company
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 9
Entrepreneurship
knows no
boundaries
Entrepreneurs hail from countries
all over the world, bringing their ideas
to innovation hubs in the US, the UK
and Canada. Half of startups in those
three countries have at least one
foreign-born founder.
Startups with at least one foreign-born founder:
53%
UK
52%
US
52%
Canada
“ Bring back US
entrepreneur visas
for founders.”
CEO, US AI company
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 10
Are women
making it
into startup
leadership?
Industry leaders and individual
companies are increasing
awareness and eorts to improve
female representation in tech
leadership, but the gap to reach
gender parity remains wide.
SVB will publish an in-depth report
on Women in US Technology
Leadership in H1 2020.
43%
have at least one female C-suite executive
42%
have at least one female board member
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 11
* Ethnic and racial minorities are dened as:
US: Black/African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacic Islander, American Indian and Alaskan Native.
UK: Black/African/Caribbean or Asian.
Canada: Visible Minority or Indigenous/Aboriginal. Visible Minority is dened by Canada’s Employment Equity Act
as “persons, other than Aboriginal people, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.”
How are
ethnic
and racial
minorities
represented
in startup
leadership?
For the rst time, we asked
startups in the US, the UK
and Canada about ethnic
and racial minorities* in
leadership positions.
42%
have at least one C-suite executive
who is ethnically or racially diverse
44%
have at least one board member
who is ethnically or racially diverse
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 12
What are
startups doing
to encourage
a diverse
workforce?
We asked startups in the US, the UK
and Canada what kinds of programs
they have to increase diversity. While
43% say they have companywide
promotion and hiring goals, fewer
than one in ve has these goals
specically for C-level positions.
About one-third have board member
diversity goals.
Does your company have any programs to increase
diverse representation in leadership?
26%
Yes
What types of programs do you have in place?
58%
55%
No
19%
Don’t know/
prefer not
to say
58%
48%
45%
Flexible work
environment
Recruiting
outreach/interview
techniques
Leadership
development
and training
Supporting
diversity-focused
organizations
43%
Establishing
promotion/
hiring goals
companywide
“ Make it easier for
injustices to be
corrected and penalize
VCs and boards for
poor diversity.”
CEO, US consumer
internet company
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 13
© 2020 SVB Financial Group. All rights reserved. SVB, SVB FINANCIAL GROUP, SILICON VALLEY BANK, MAKE NEXT HAPPEN NOW and the chevron device are trademarks of SVB Financial Group, used under license. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of the
FDIC and the Federal Reserve System. Silicon Valley Bank is the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB). Silicon Valley Bank, an authorized bank branch under the Bank Act (Canada). This material, including without limitation
to the statistical information herein, is provided for informational purposes only, and has been derived based upon the responses received from SVB’s Startup Outlook Survey. Nothing relating to the material should be construed as a solicitation, oer or
recommendation to acquire or dispose of any investment, or to engage in any other transaction.
About the Startup Outlook Survey
Our annual survey oers insights into what is on the minds of technology and healthcare startup leaders. For the 2020 report,
we conducted the survey in October and November 2019 and received responses from startup executives in innovation hubs
primarily in the US, the UK, Canada and China.
Total
respondents
Industry sector Size Company age Protable
Primary place of business Revenue stage
(USD)
Founder
gender
Companies with at least
one founder born outside
their primary country
1,100
71%
< 5 years old
29%
> 5 years old
56%
Yes
44%
No
58%
0–25
employees
27%
26–100
employees
15%
> 100
employees
69%
Technology
(net)
17%
Healthcare
(net)
14%
Other
Ownership
97%
Private
3%
Public
63%
US
7%
UK
24%
China
5%
Canada
1%
Other
32%
At least one
female founder
68%
Male-only
founder(s)
52%
US
53%
UK
52%
Canada
64%
< $25 million
in revenue
12%
≥ $25 million
in revenue
24%
Pre-revenue
STARTUP OUTLOOK 2020 14
