Venture Capital

SearchNetworking.com asked Forrester Research senior analyst John Kindervag to predict what the new year will bring for network security. He says venture capital firms will look to cash out of startups, and new uber-devices that combine UTM with next-generation firewalls will emerge. And it's time to secure unified communications.  

I want to take the opportunity of this second blog post of the year (!) to wish you and your families Happy Holidays and a Happy, Healthy and Wonderful New Year. For a recession year, 2009 was not all that bad: SoftTech VC II closed 15+ new investments, a number of our companies raised additional financing from great VC firms (Eventbrite, Curse, Outright, Blekko,...) and we even enjoyed a few nice exits (Ohloh, Mint, Mixer Labs,...). I am also...  

With IPOs Popping And LPs Hopping, VCs Look Toward ChinaWall Street Journal (blog)Increased attention from US venture investors also coincides with an expected surge in capital flowing into private equity in and from China. ...Foreign VC/PEs optimistic on ChiNext exchangeAlibaba News Channelall 5 news articles »  

When a tech vendor fails, rivals usually rejoice. Not in the nascent BI business intelligence)-on-demand space, after The company had raised almost $21 million in funding from high-profile venture capitalists.  

A group of entrepreneurs and investors have partnered to create a new Silicon Valley based business incubator called The Start Project . Behind the new company are Polaris Venture Partners , the founders of 83 Degrees (Webshots, 30 Boxes, Power Twitter, fbExchange) and entrepreneur/investor Josh Felser (Spinner, Crackle, Freestyle Capital). The ... (Read on Source)  

When the final numbers come out next month, it's likely that venture capitalists will have invested less money in 2009 than in any year since 1997. It's currently tracking at just over $16 billion for U.S.-based companies, with the only silver lining -- from a deal volume perspective -- being that Q3 and Q4 figures were improvements over Q1 and Q2. But the investment slowdown didn't affect everyone. peHUB has compiled a list of the 10...  

Two rules in venture capital: VC firms tend to give money to entrepreneurs who've gotten venture capital before. VCs also like to fund companies that already have customers and revenue. Now that the economy's in a slump, these rules are doubly true.  

VC investment in cleantech shot up sequentially in the third quarter of 2009, almost fully recovering from the go-go days of 2008 after a collapse earlier this year. Venture capital investment rose last quarter to $897.5 million, up 89% from $474.8 million in the previous quarter. This according to the MoneyTree Report, a survey produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association based on data provided by...  

Even though I said I wasn't surprised by this week's 2010 venture capital predictions, one item did catch my attention -- the slide where 48% of U.S. VCs said they expect more foreign LPs to invest in their funds next year. VCs are telling the National Venture Capital Association that the percentage of foreign money in their funds has been climbing from 5% to as high as 15% or 20%, said president Mark Heesen. Some LPs are attracted to the U.S...  

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Several of the world's premier research universities and hospitals - as well as many top venture capitalists - connected at SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, for a one-day showcase of key opportunities and information exchange on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009.  

Paris-based entrepreneur Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is covering the Le Web conference for us this year. Follow him on Twitter for more updates. Niklas Zennstrom is known as the founder of startups that were sometimes smashing successes (Skype), somewhat dismal failures (Joost), but always interesting. While he's been in the news lately for his litigating to get aboard the Skype LBO, he is also launching a VC firm called Atomico Ventures. The firm...  

Very saddened to learn that Dick McGlinchey, a Boston-area marketing pro focused on VC firms and early-stage companies, passed away last Wednesday night from a heart attack. Dick also had been suffering from a progressive neurological disease called Multiple System Atrophy.I first got to know Dick when he was in charge of marketing for Battery Ventures (1999-2004). He later continued to work with various VC firms and early-stage companies...  

We knew this was going to be a tough year for many startups. Venture capitalists needed to eke their money out. It is natural they would be withholding it from some because of the uncertainty that the global economic crisis had brought and the delay it introduced into the growth of various markets.  

There's a long list of Dept Of Energy and other government grants sending funding to promising CleanTech companies. The article's focus is on the funding of Fisker and whether/how VP Bidens people were involved with setting up the deal. This article is one of a wave of articles questioning whether "venture capitalist" is the right role for government. The principle may be that government venture capitalist activities interfere with the free...  

Fourteen Swedish startups are in SIlicon Valley this week as part of a trip organized by Invest In Sweden. On Monday they met with 15 top VC firms that included Atrium Capital, Advanced Technology Ventures, California Technology Ventures and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Plus representatives from strategic investors Applied Materials, General Electric, Intel Capital, Qualcomm Ventures and SAP Ventures.Over the past five years Swedish VCs have...