Sens. Charles Schumer (D, N.Y.) and Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) last week introduced a bill seeking to make it easier for small companies to go public. The proposed legislation grew out of recommendations from a task force of venture capitalists, public market investors, entrepreneurs, academics, investment bankers and attorneys. One member of the task force [...]

The uncertainties of the European debt crisis continue to pummel stocks worldwide, including venture back IPOs. Of the 29 venture-backed startups that went public in the United States since May, 16 are below their IPO prices and 13 above. Not a sparkling record, especially considering that five of the “above water” offerings were launched in [...]

As expected, third quarter VC-backed IPO results were dismal.

Only five VC-backed companies went public in third quarter, raising $442.9 million. This is down roughly 64% from the same time period in 2010 when 14 IPOs raised $1.2 billion, according to data from Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association.

In fact, Q3′s results are the worst time period for VC-backed offerings since Q4 of 2009, when four IPOs totaled $349.3 million. Four of the IPOs–Tudou.com, Zillow, Tangoe, and Carbonite– were in the IT sector, Thomson Reuters/NVCA said. Only Horizon Pharma, which raised $49.5 million in July, was the sole non-IT offering.

(Reuters) – The latter part of the third quarter is shaping up to be a weak period for U.S. initial public offerings. Market panic has scared many companies into postponing their IPOs, and lingering economic and political uncertainty raises the possibility that deals may not be revived at all this quarter. “Given the current environment, [...]

Time to catch up on the peHUB stories your colleagues found most compelling this week. Here are the top 10 posts that garnered the most pageviews from regular readers from Aug. 8 to Aug. 12. It isn’t terribly surprising that most of the posts were related in some way to the turmoil in the public markets this week.

1. Early Stage Funds Dominate CalPERS’ Top 10 Venture Funds, by Mark Boslet
2. Silicon Valley’s Undertaker: ‘We’re Anticipating a Major Fallout’, by Connie Loizos
3. Groupon, Zynga and 9 Other VC-Backed IPOs Threatened by Market Turmoil, by Joanna Glasner
4. LinkedIn, Solazyme, Zipcar, 33 Other VC-Backed IPOs Bloodied in Market Beatdown, by Lawrence Aragon
5. Idaho Public Employee Retirement Top-Performing Funds (subscribers only), by David Toll
6. Menlo Ventures Is Biggest Winner in Carbonite IPO, by Lawrence Aragon
7. Venture & PE Picks for a Double Dip, by Joanna Glasner
8. Colorado PERA Top-10 Performing Funds Since 1982, by David Toll
9. How This Year’s 10 Biggest VC-Backed IPOs Fared in the Market Plunge, by Lawrence Aragon
10. Reuters Exclusive: Khosla Loses 2 Partners; Alex Kinnier to Do Startup, Jim Kim’s Plans Unknown, by Sarah McBride and Peter Lauria, Reuters

I’m sure I’ll catch hell for saying this, but maybe the market correction isn’t such a bad thing for slowing down the pace of VC-backed IPOs. I certainly want to see VC-backed companies go public, since it gives those companies the cash they need to grow and ultimately produces returns for LPs in VC funds. [...]

It turned out Tuesday was just a brief respite. On Wednesday Today we were back in the the business of a market sell-off. Besides the public companies that got a haircut, the tumultuous market also dashed the hopes of six of the 12 companies on the docket to go public this week. Then, Thursday, the market surged back, with the Dow up nearly 4 percent.

On Tuesday, three companies postponed their offerings, including 3-D motion-sensing company InvenSense Inc, a VC-backed company that hoped to raise $99.8 million.

On Wednesday, another three companies postponed, including two VC-backed startups: employee benefit program provider WageWorks, which held off on a $49 million IPO, and medical services provider WhiteGlove, which tabled

Carbonite’s gamble to go public during a week of market mayhem paid off for its venture backers. As a group, the VCs are currently sitting on shares worth $116.9 million, based on today’s closing price of $12.35. In addition, three investors sold shares at the IPO price of $10 for total proceeds of $5.2 million. [...]

Carbonite Inc., a Boston-based provider of online backup services for consumers and small businesses, has raised $20 million in fourth-round funding, according to a regulatory filing. The company previously raised around $50 million, from Performance Equity, Menlo Ventures, 3i and Common Angels Fund. Update: The company formally announced the round, saying that Crosslink Capital was [...]

Carbonite Inc., a Boston-based provider of online backup services for consumers and small businesses, has raised $20 million in Series C funding. Performance Equity led the round, and was joined by return backers Menlo Ventures, 3i and Common Angels Fund. The company has now raised $47 million in total VC funding, including a $15.2 million [...]