Dotcom entrepreneurs return with confidence

Internet entrepreneurs are returning to the market with a new found maturity, according to research from a UK study by Palo Alto Software, a developer and publisher of business planning software for entrepreneurs.

The report shows that 74% of MBA students intend to set up their own business after graduating this year, with 60% of those interviewed to launch their new business online.

The research was conducted in June 2004 from a sample of 40 final year MBA students from courses across the UK.

The last few years have seen general unwillingness from venture capitalists to invest seed or start-up cash into technology-based companies following the dotcom crash. Research from Corporate Synergy and Hemscott in June found that of the 750 or so companies listed on AIM (Alternative Investment Market), 59 are forecast to return to profitability soon, of which 16 are software companies previously in the red.

With investors remaining cautious but willing to invest again, entrepreneurs have adopted a similarly mature approach, according to the report. Students identified the most important lesson they could learn from the dotcom boom as 'planning ahead for opportunities and challenges rather than following mad hype' - ranked as most important at 75%, over connectivity issues and lack of consumer confidence in the internet.

CEO and president of Palo Alto Software, Tim Berry said: "This research highlights the main characteristics of the new breed of internet entrepreneurs - intelligent caution, which leads me to feel confident about the future success of internet commerce."

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