Scoops & Analysis

NEA Goes Hyper, Does 12 Deals in October

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I was putting together the monthly list of most active U.S.-based VCs for the next issue of Venture Capital Journal and was stunned to see New Enterprise Associates atop the list with 12 deals. That’s a much larger number than we typically see for a monthly period.

What’s it mean? Maybe it’s a sign that deal making is finally heating up after a long cool spell. Or maybe NEA just wanted to let loose.

To put those numbers into perspective, here’s how the prior three months looked: For September, the most active VC was NEA, with eight deals; for August, it was Kleiner Perkins, with five deals; and for July, it was Intel capital, with seven deals.

VCJ subscribers can get an early look at the entire top 10 list here.

Here’s a peek at NEA’s deals:

October Investments by New Enterprise Associates
Company NameCompany Description
Data Robotics Inc.Provides storage hardware and solutions.
Diapers.comSells baby-care products online.
GlycoMimetics Inc.Develops glycobiology-based therapies.
Inhibitex Inc. (Nasdaq: INHX)Develops products to treat infectious diseases.
NeoTract Inc.Manufactures medical devices.
Pentaho Corp.Develops Open Source Business Intelligence software.
SecondMarket Inc.Enables buying/selling of shares in private companies.
SmartDrive Systems Inc.Provides driver risk management systems and services.
Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Inc.Develops drugs to treat solid and hematologic cancers.
TidalTV Inc.Operates as an online video advertising network.
ValueFirst Messaging Pvt. Ltd.Provides mobile messaging services.
Zyngenia Inc.Develops antibody drugs.
Source: Thomson Reuters 

 

Please feel free to share your theories about whether this is a sign that the market is coming back to life or whether this is just an anomaly.