Dan Primack

Lots of VC chatter today about green energy, following President Bush’s lip service during last night’s State of the Union address. Most of the focus has been on increased ethanol production (did you see Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley cheer like Oprah had given him a new car?), but there also is piqued interest among those […]

Venture capitalists invested more money into more companies last year than in any other year since 2001, according to MoneyTree Survey data released today by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the National Venture Capital Association and Thomson Financial (full data after the jump). 3.416 U.S.-based companies received just over $25.5 billion in 2006, compared to 3,100 companies raising nearly […]

Wall Street analysts beware: Your jobs could soon be outsourced. That’s the message coming from Adventity, an India-based company that today will announce $20 million in VC funding led by Norwest Venture Partners. Well, Adventity doesn’t put it quite so ominously, but it’s hard to miss the implications of its sales pitch to corporation, I-banks […]

Venture capitalists pumped $2.9 billion into North American cleantech companies last year, according to a new report from the Cleantech Venture Network. This is a 78% increase over the 2005 tally of $1.6 billion, and a 140% increase over the $1.2 billion invested in 2004. Expect yet another rise in 2007, at least judging by […]

Official 2006 venture capital data will be coming later this month, but I’m impatient by nature (just ask US Air, which forced me to wait four extra days before flying to Costa Rica, because a self-important gate attendant who thought I had tampered with my passport). Anyway, I’ve tabulated the 15 companies that raised the most venture capital […]

Earlier today, I was interrupted from my daily Madden ‘06 break by word that a Silicon Valley gaming publisher had received its first round of institutional funding. Since the company is run by Madden architect Scott Orr, it seemed appropriate that I put down my controller. Now I know what some of you are thinking: […]

Later this week, the Teacher Retirement System of Texas will take up a gubernatorial request that it allocate up to $600 million for direct venture capital investments into Texas-based companies and related technology endeavors. It is an odd proposal, to be sure, but not necessarily one to be dismissed out of hand. TRS currently makes […]

The Financial Times reports that “VC Rises to Dotcom Bubble Levels,” because 2006 VC disbursements are expected to hit their highest levels since 2001. How remarkably silly. Not just the conclusion, but also the supporting data. The article reads, in part: Venture capitalists in the US, Europe, China and Israel invested $25.4bn in the first […]

VC-backed healthcare IPOs have been a disappointing breed this year, with most pricing either below forecast or not pricing at all. Among those in that latter bucket seemed to be Asthmatx Inc., a Silicon Valley maker of catheter-based medical devices to help people breathe easier. It had filed for a $74.25 million IPO in July, […]

I understand Second Life like I used to understand Dungeons & Dragons. Not my cup of tea, but clean escapist fun for those who fancy themselves dice-throwing sorcerers. What completely confounds me, however, is the Second Life economy, in which people can make real money by selling fake things. Examples include pixilated designer dresses or […]