Midas List

The Forbes Midas list is the annual ranking by Forbes magazine of the best dealmakers in high-tech and life science venture capital. It uses parameters including the first-day market capitalization of IPOs, and the opinions of a panel of experts.

The name is an allusion to the mythological King Midas, renowned for his ability to turn anything he touched into gold. Forbes partnered with venture capital fund-of-funds TrueBridge Capital Partners to create the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Midas List.

Criticism

The list has been criticised by Fortune magazine for a number of reasons: its inclusion of people involved with new start-ups that may not have made any money yet; its focus on first-day market capitalisation rather than longer-term measures; and the fact that it relies partly on the subjective judgment of a panel of so-called experts.

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