Long time head of the National Venture Capital Association Mark Heesen announced on Thursday that he would step down from his post when a successor is found. After 22 years with the association and 14 as its president, he said it was for time for new blood. Here is Heesen in his own words.

Mark Heesen, the tireless head of the National Venture Capital Association for 14 years, announced on Thursday his intention to retire from his role as the nation’s top lobbyist for the venture capital industry.

The bill has President Obama’s support and is likely to pass the Senate. But a The New York Times editorial took aim at it, a critical statement from Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro argues it will chip away at objective investment analysis and former SEC chair Arthur Levitt described it as “investor unfriendly.”

If you counted the number of times William Draper III used the word “cooperation” at a public event last week…well, you might not think you were in Silicon Valley. But there you were – right at the heart of it – at the Rosewood Hotel on Sand Hill Road, next to where venture firms syndicate [...]

The venture-backed IPO market limps along and the venture returns follow it. According to the latest batch of numbers from the National Venture Capital Association and Cambridge Associates, venture returns fell in the second quarter pretty much across the board. Only the 20-year return notched a very modest gain. (See link at bottom for full [...]

Last month, as Christmas day neared, National Venture Capital Association president Mark Heesen was pacing around his Washington office, worried and wondering what might happen once the Senate voted on a landmark bill to reform the nation’s health care system. “Our major concern was that [the senators] were all exhausted, and they had this trainload [...]