FF's Bertie Ahern as taoiseach, but with the formidable Mary Harney as tanaiste in charge of industry and enterprise, and Charlie McCreevy as finance minister, has won plaudits from Irish and overseas businessmen alike.

ECONOMIST: The economy has some weaknesses��but several strengths too

VCs usually limit their involvement to the CEO decision, and some firms, such as Kleiner Perkins and ff Venture Capital, are known for maintaining a keiretsu of operating talent to deploy within their portfolios.

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