By Joshua Mitnick, VCJ Correspondent A little more than a decade after co-founding the online real estate market Trulia, and two years after it was acquired by Zillow, Pete Flint decided he needed some “time off’’ to figure out his next move. But taking a break didn’t mean a vacation on the beach. “I ended up spending my entire day […]
Gone are the days when venture-fund managers had only cash or stock as the basis of distributions to LPs. As investors turn to blockchain technology and more companies hold initial coin offerings, fund managers are beginning to request cryptocurrency baskets to hold digital assets like coins and tokens. The new asset class brings with it […]
Sequoia Capital, one of the most sought-after venture firms in the market, set its ambitions high by targeting between $6 billion and $8 billion for a global growth mega-fund. But to achieve its lofty goals, it will have to work with a section of the limited partner community it has shunned for many years: public […]
In its own words, Sapphire Ventures says 2017 was a record year for the firm, which invests from a $700 million direct fund and in early-stage fund managers out of a separate evergreen vehicle. The Palo Alto, California-based firm says it made 37 investments in tech companies and venture funds last year. The firm also saw […]
Growth-stage venture firm Activant Capital has closed its sophomore fund, Activant Ventures II, at $129 million. Founded in 2013 by Steve Sarracino, the Greenwich, Connecticut-based firm invests in commerce infrastructure and the internet of things. The fund has made five investments and deployed nearly $50 million already, leading investments in sustainable agriculture company Indigo and […]
Norwest Venture Partners has closed its largest fund to date, announced a pair of promotions and is boosting its San Francisco presence by opening a larger satellite office in the South Park area. The multistage firm raised $1.5 billion for Fund XIV. That’s 25 percent larger than its previous fund, which it raised two years ago. […]
Funds from Giza Venture Capital and Baring Private Equity Asia top a portfolio of emerging markets venture funds at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. The portfolio of 2006 to 2008 vintages favors mid-sized funds and a multi-stage approach to investing. Six of the 10 funds range from $200 million to $500 million, and 60 […]
The number of venture investments into U.S.-based companies dropped in January 2018 compared with the same month a year before, while the overall equity invested more than doubled, according to VCJ’s analysis of preliminary data from Thomson Reuters. In January 2018, there were 312 venture capital deals with U.S.-based companies, with $8.2 billion invested, compared […]
By Alex Derber, VCJ Correspondent Europe’s fourth-largest economy, Italy, still trails several smaller nations for venture capital fundraising and investment. One of the country’s few significant early-stage investors is Milan-based United Ventures, which recently held a €75 million ($90 million) first close for its second technology fund. United Co-Founder and Managing Director Paolo Gesess acknowledges […]
New York-based venture fund Notation Capital announced on Feb. 7 it has closed its second fund, a $27 million vehicle to focus on “first-check” investing. The firm is departing from its previous strategy of “pre-seed” investing, for a few reasons, including that it “struggled to define what the heck “pre-seed” actually means, particularly as the […]