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Founded in 2009, Google Ventures has already become a notable force in early-stage venture investing. With an annual fund allotment of $300 million, the team invests in startups from a variety of sectors. Google recently made investments in music service TuneIn, recommendations site Luvocracy and aircraft technology provider Airware. . Karim Faris, general partner of Google Ventures, leads the firm’s investments in enterprise software, big data and security. . Faris sat down for a video interview with Venture Capital Journal in May 2013, in which he talked more about his investment strategies. . Faris's portfolio companies include ClearStory Data, RetailMeNot and DocuSign. Faris, who used to be on Google’s M&A team, is not focused on finding companies that could be bought someday. Instead, Faris says Google Ventures enters an investment with “the mindset that we’re building a self-sustaining standalone company that has prospects of being a public company one day.” Faris says that strategy increases the odds of providing better returns for the investors and entrepreneurs. . Going forward, Faris says he is enthusiastic about enterprise software, an industry which has seen many successful IPOs as of late. Faris says enterprise software is “making things more accessible more usable and cheaper,” adding that the sector is “ripe for disruption.” . However, regardless of the investment, Faris, like other venture investors, says it ultimately comes down to backing the right team. When deciding whether an investment is worth it, he asks, “Is the problem that they’re solving an aspirin or a vitamin?” You’ll have to watch the video to find out what he means. . By Katie Roof, contributor, Venture Capital Journal . This story first appeared in Venture Capital Journal in June 2013

Jane Mendillo, CEO of Harvard Management Co., speaks to Reuters Editor in Chief Stephen Adler at Thomson Reuters' Partner Connect East 2013 conference. . Mendillo said she sees investment opportunities in European private equity and emerging markets. . Video date: April 11, 2013

In a keynote address at Thomson Reuters' Buyouts East conference on April 4, 2013, Silver Lake Co-Founder Glenn Hutchins said he didn't expect to see the economic recovery pick up more steam, but that he was still bullish on the technology sector. . Laying out his macro-economic outlook for a sluggish growth in U.S. Gross Domestic Product of 2 percent for the next several years, Hutchins said the technology sector offers faster growth. . He pointed out that Apple Inc. launched the iPad during a weak economy, but the product still took off. “You have to take share of consumer dollars,” he said. . Overall, investors should focus on growing parts of the global economy by sector and “take control of them,” he said. . Hutchins, who declined to talk about his firm’s $24 billion bid to buy Dell Inc., said he remains optimistic, but he called on the business community to work to create more jobs. . “The unhappy situation is not 2 percent growth – the unhappy picture is unemployment,” he said. . Hutchins said he focuses on macroeconomic forecasts because, “you can make the best company selection but you can still get killed” if overall business conditions take a dive. . While some may be hoping for the economy to heat up, the current recovery ranks as the “worst…since World War II,” he said. . “This is the economic recovery,” Hutchins said. “This is what you’re going to get. The recovery is already middle aged. It’s time to do some of the things [you] postponed for the future.” . By Steve Gelsi, Buyouts magazine . This story first appeared in Buyouts Magazine. Steve Gelsi is a senior editor at Buyouts Magazine. Any opinions expressed here are entirely his own. Follow him on Twitter @SteveGelsi. Follow Buyouts tweets @Buyouts. . Video date: April 4, 2013

Henry Kravis, co-chairman of private equity fund KKR, discusses his investment strategies for Europe and Southeast Asia at the opening of the firm's Singapore office in October 2012. . Video date: Oct. 25, 2012