The attitude and the potentiality of VC in Italian small firms: a comparison of a traditional and a new sector

Much attention has been given to the venture capital industry as a tool for industrial growth and competitiveness in recent years. This paper contributes to the understanding of whether and how venture capital could be suitable for the growth of small firms. This was done by carrying out a qualitative analysis of the suitability and the readiness of small firms in two sectors - the automotive sector and the software sectors - for receiving investment by venture capital funds in northern Italy. A great deal of difference was found between the two sectors as evidence suggests that small firms from the automotive sector are very unlikely to benefit from the presence of VC sources whereas those from the software sector could substantially grow if seed capital sources were to be established and entrepreneurs trained for high-growth innovation management