Welcome to Axis Perrada, where we take just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech, business, and politics.

Brought to you by Silicon Valley Bank, Ideas Bank here. I'm Dan Permac. On today's show, the opioids epidemic takes a bite out of business business and the internet is getting faster, but only

for some.

First though, a tale of two American economies.

So we hear lots of talk out of Washington, D.C. about how strong the economy is right

now, particularly in terms of new jobs and low unemployment.

But one very stubborn statistic has been new business creation, which has been essentially

flat for a decade, showing a tiny increase at the beginning of 2018, but then dipping

back down to its sluggish norm.

At the same time, however, venture capitalists have been plugging record amounts of money

into startups, unfazed by this broader trend. One distinction, of course, is that venture capitalists have been plugging record amounts of money into startups, unfazed by this broader

trend. One distinction, of course, is that venture capitalists typically invest only in companies

with what they refer to as high growth potential, so something like a tech company, like an Uber,

as opposed to a local plumbing shop. And obviously, there are all sorts of startups that are

better served by a bank loan or maybe a loan from a friend than by a venture capitalist.

But that said, venture capital lately has really broadened in the sectors it's willing to touch, from tech to healthcare to food delivery to consumer products.

And there is an argument that more founders could take advantage of it if A, VCs were more

present in more geographic markets, and B, if startup founders better understood venture capital,

including what to watch out for. In short, this new job creation issue could in part be solved

by an expansion of venture capital, but only if both founders and VCs start

talking to each other more.

That's the information gap my guest this morning.

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