Is the economy improving as we turn to 2010?

I have had my ear to the ground, read tea leaves, asked everyone that I know that has direct experience and/or a point of view on the economy, and my general sense is that the software economy is improving slightly in 4Q09, which is good to see and experience.

The most recent public data point came from Oracle’s quarterly financial report, which indicated that the Oracle new license revenue was up 2%…this was the first uptick in new license revenue for a very long period of time and (hopefully) is the first in a series of increases going forward.

Oracle’s report is similar to what we have been hearing from our portfolio companies, prospects that we are talking to, other growth capital funds, outside accountants, and lawyers.

Of course there are also buckets of cold water relating to the economy overall such this very good piece from The Business Insider which suggest that we have a long way to go before we get back to normal and perhaps the economy is starting to falter again…

My bottom line is that 2010 is still very difficult to predict, but there is a general sense that it is set up to be a much better year than 2009 from an economic perspective…from a growth company perspective, perhaps it is a great time to consider adding some sales and marketing resources and funding them with a growth capital investment (such as venture capital financing, corporate venture capital, growth private equity, or venture debt) to help set up for a steeper growth trajectory as the economy recovers?