Tech geeks are some of the only upbeat types this year at Davos. Sure, tech stocks are tanking and corporate R and D budgets are shrinking, but that's the best time to start a new business -- at least according to some of the entrepreneurs and VCs at a technology cocktail reception held this afternoon in Davos. One high profile venture capitalist noted that many of today's biggest tech businesses, like Microsoft and Oracle, were started in a downturn. Why? "It's easier to find people because they are getting laid off elsewhere," says Tech Pioneer Alexander Straub, founder of mobile business Pixsta. "There's less money around, but also less pressure. Businesses can grow and develop." Even better, says another VC, is that investors don't have to pay the huge multiples they do in good times. Its all either honest optimism, or a desperate attempt to counteract the huge sucking sound emanating from the rest of the conference hall.