Many of us were trained in the strategy principles of VUCA, an acronym to describe or reflect upon the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity of general conditions and situations. It seems 2022 is shaping up to be the year of VUCA.
The last week has seen Russia invade Ukraine, an act of aggression reminiscent of the Nazi Blitzkrieg of 1939. Those hit hardest are the people of Ukraine, and the greatest tragedy is the loss of life they are suffering. The impact, however, is being felt globally, with remote teams caught in the crossfire and a welcome rapid response by the EU, which will severely limit Russia's ability to participate in the global economy.
This comes on the back of 24 months of COVID and already softening public markets in 2022. Against a backdrop of immense dry powder with US investors having raised $78.3 billion in 2021, the highest in a decade, and more than twice the amount in 2020, multiples for public SaaS companies have dropped 12.2%, impacting valuations across the board. We've seen potential investment deals fall apart recently based on concerns over valuations that were set just months ago.
VUCA is about preparedness and response. We chose Digital Industry, the digitization of energy, manufacturing, smart spaces, and supply chain sectors, as our sole focus in 2012 based on VUCA principles. We only see the current situation as strengthening this space and our focus. COVID already proved to be the 'great digital accelerator' for our core killer use case of remote asset management.
We see purpose-driven outcomes as the next horizon for Digital Industry, beginning with ESG outcomes but quickly moving to the wider Industry 5.0 outcomes, which put People and Planet at the same level of Industry 4.0's Productivity focus. And one of those key purposes already emerging this week is the use of information technology to prevent and counter the aggressions we've seen in Ukraine.
We remain bullish on Digital Industry, as we have since 2012; however, we see the greatest impact in this space still ahead of us.
Momenta is the leading Digital Industry venture capital firm accelerating digital innovators across energy, manufacturing, smart spaces, and supply chain. Led by deep industry operators across its venture capital, strategic advisory, and executive search practices, Momenta has made over 50 investments with notable exits to SAP, PTC, and Husqvarna.
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