‘Thrivers’ and ‘zombies’ both part of venture capital investing

Venture capital companies were prepared to invest in failed startup Vortex despite knowing the risks. (Image: Vortex Power Technologies)

Greg Hurrell

Tue, 26 Aug 2025

Startups can fail because the technology doesn’t work at scale, and many of the winners have themselves been through near-death experiences, Icehouse Ventures says.The venture capital company has moved to show investors what exactly has happened to all those startups pitching for funds over 15 years of Icehouse’s annual “showcase” investor nights, for better or worse.On Aug 21, an Icehouse showcase presented data from 120 companies funded by its audience of investors over the years. Of those companies, 82 were still...

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