Both PE and VC funding dramatically accelerate sales and job growth of their small-and mid-size recipients, according to a new study out of Pepperdine University and the Institute for Exceptional Growth Companies (IEGC), created through a three-year grant from the NASDAQ Educational Foundation.

Venture capitalists are surprisingly upbeat about next year’s fund returns. This is the case despite the prolonged downturn, relatively lukewarm exit markets and a restless base of limited partners. The optimism was a key finding of a Pepperdine University Private Capital Markets study released on Tuesday. The study found that VCs expect to offer LPs [...]

Beginning today, in an effort to collect and return some free information about the PE industry, Pepperdine University in Malibu is inviting “senior lenders, asset-based lenders, mezzanine funds, private equity groups, venture capital firms, angel investors, factors, privately held businesses and business appraisers” to complete its 25-minute online questionnaire.

For what it’s worth, contributors to the school’s fourth annual study, which aims to gauge current investor behavior—from how much capital is typically accessible right now for a particular kind of financing event, to what benchmarks must be met to qualify for that capital — receive a