Index Ventures gets its Michelangelo
Index has always been a leading venture firm, but the addition of Mike Volpi to the team should help it deliver even better exits.
I've suggested before that Index Ventures could well be the "best venture firm in Europe." Index has one of the most interesting investment portfolios of any venture firm on the planet, having invested in companies like Skype, Openads, Oanda, DimDim, and others.
Today, Index became even more interesting, adding Michelangelo ("Mike") Volpi to its investment team as a partner based in London. Volpi was most recently the CEO of online video company Joost, but made his name as the mergers and acquisitions maestro at Cisco, where he oversaw 75 acquisitions.
Given Volpi's background as a deal-maker, the question is whether he's going to be investing for Index or selling for Index.
The answer is "both," of course, and Volpi's recent failure with Joost should prove useful instruction for his future Index investments, as suggested in an interview with D: All Things Digital. Look for Volpi to take a hard-headed view on Internet business models: less advertising, and more transactional business models.
Index was already a leading light in the global venture investment constellation. Adding Volpi should make it even better.
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