The year just passed was not a standout one for venture-backed IPOs. It could have been worse, though.

Fifty-two venture-funded companies made the plunge to public from private. This was down from 75 in 2010. But the dollar value of the offerings rose to $9.88 billion, up 41%, according to data from the National Venture Capital Association and Thomson Reuters, publisher of this blog. Groupon and Zynga disappointed, but in part because they expected too much. Both still trade at multi-billion-dollar market caps – Groupon at $11.4 billion, Zynga at $6.2 billion – so somebody is going to make money.

Viewed from a long-term perspective, the year was above average. The IPO volume was well above the median of the past decade, and the average IPO size was up sharply, again thanks to Groupon and Zynga.

Given the remarkable second-half volatility in the world’s financial markets, the results were hardly a disaster.

The M&A markets tell a more encouraging tale. The year saw 429 transactions involving venture-backed companies, the NVCA and Thomson Reuters report. This was down just 2% from 2010, a record year, despite the above mentioned market gyrations. Aggregate value for deals with disclosed terms climbed to $23 billion, up 23%. It was the highest total since 2007.

In the following slideshow, we look at the IPO and M&A markets for venture backed companies. The year could have been better, no doubt. It also could have been worse. Should volatility subside, 2012 could build upon this outcome. (The data used for the slideshow can be found here.)

Related posts:

1. A Look At The Angel Market And The Fall In Average Deal Size: Slideshow
2. Venture Backed IPOs Feel The Pain, But Some Stay Above Water: peHUB Analysis And Slideshow
3. Most Active U.S.-based Venture Firms in 2011: Slideshow
4. Venture Backed IPO Market Rebounds In 4Q But Not Enough To Reverse Down Year; M&A Still Solid
5. Slideshow: Here’s the Top 10 PE-Backed Deals in 2011