# The Guardian view on venture capitalism: investor profits are no industrial strategy | Editorial

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-guardian-view-on-venture-capitalism-investor-profits-are-no-industrial-strategy-editorial/
- Published: 2026-11-12T18:53:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T20:06:27+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/12/the-guardian-view-on-venture-capitalism-investor-profits-are-no-industrial-strategy
- Topics: Americas, Business, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- Investor returns do not guarantee British industrial growth.
- More startup funding may not prevent overseas sales.
- The article argues for investment tied to social needs.

## Summary

The editorial argues that Britain’s venture-capital system can reward investors while weakening the country’s ability to build and retain major technology businesses. It says that directing more money into startups will not, by itself, create a strong domestic industry if successful firms are later sold abroad.

A Common Wealth paper cited in the article says foreign buyers, mostly American, acquired 300 valuable British companies over the past decade. It highlights the sale of 38 major UK venture-backed technology firms between 2010 and 2023, and warns that policies aimed at boosting startup funding could raise sale prices without preserving British control. The paper instead advocates public investment steered towards social needs, citing Brazil’s publicly supported health and industrial policies: by August 2021, almost three-quarters of Covid vaccine doses administered there had been produced domestically.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.