Venture investing fell in the fourth quarter to its slowest pace of the year, but capital commitments were enough to lift 2011 well above lethargic 2010. Fourth-quarter deal making was particularly strong in cleantech and among biotechnology startups, but software, Internet, medical devices and IT services investing fell. Early-stage investing hit a high for the [...]

I’m ready to declare 2011 as the year of the pivot. I haven’t kept any stats on it, but the term “pivot” came up at least once a week. Or so it seemed. Sometimes, it was in the negative context of, say, a Color Labs and what that company was going to do now with [...]

A majority of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs see an upswing in venture investing next year along with a better environment for technology IPOs and acquisitions. But VCs are cautious about their ability to raise new funds and about cleantech in general, according to a survey released Tuesday by the National Venture Capital Association and Dow [...]

Venture capitalists are generally an optimistic bunch, so it’s no surprise that for 2011 they foresee a better IPO landscape and lucrative acquisition deals. But what I found interesting in a handful of forecasts submitted by GPs was this: They see excited LPs willing to invest more aggressively in venture funds. What a turnabout that [...]

The “crazy” pace of investing in Internet companies may continue next year, but cleantech fundings could lag. On the other hand, life sciences could turn in a solid performance. There is no shortage of interesting companies. This was the conclusion of a panel of VCs Thursday night at an investment forecasting event held by the [...]