Marketplaces, mobile are big VC themes in 2013

Rick Heitzmann leads VC panel and shares why he invested in Pinterest (before it was hot)

If you want to know what venture capitalists want to invest in this year, check out this panel moderated by Rick Heitzmann, founding Managing Partner of FirstMark Capital. The panel was held in NYC during Splash NY. If you missed it, here's the video.

On the panel at Vator Splash NY were Chris Fralic from First Round Capital, which has more than 150 companies in its portfolio (50 being in NY), angel investor Deborah Jackson, Micah Rosenbloom from Founder Collective, Ben Lin from Great Oaks Capital Management, which has about 115 companies in its portfolio, and Lewis Gersh from Metamorphic Ventures. 

Heitzmann digs into the differences between investments, entrepreneurs and startups in NY and Silicon Valley. For more of our coverage on the different ecosystems, see our related stories below.

You'll have to watch the video for the panelists thoughts on Heitzmann's questions about NY and the Valley. But here are some quick highlights: 

Heitzmann: What was the big tech story in 2012?

Jackson: The big jump in female-led startups.

Fralic: Pinterest and the rise of the visual Web.

Gersh: Rapid pace of going international with little marketing

Rosenbloom: The disruption of traditional industries (e.g. Uber disrupting the black car industry)

Heitzmann: Key themes for 2013?

Panelists: Mobile, marketplaces (P2P marketplcase like Airbnb, Uber, DogVacay)

Heitzmann: What are you looking to invest in?

Fralic: Interested in companies that can connect brands with audiences

Gersh: Interested in e-commerce, transactional media  

Lin: Enterprise, Saas. EdTech or healthcare technology with SaaS model.

Finally, listen to Heitzmann explain why he invested in Pinterest and what he saw in the founders and the product. FirstMark Capital was one of the first investors in the social commerce company.