Venture-capital funding best in five years - Sacramento Business Journal:

Venture-capital funding best in five years - Sacramento Business Journal:: "Venture-capital funding best in five years
Sacramento Business Journal - 2:53 PM PST Tuesday
by Charlotte Business Journal

Venture-capital fund raising in the United States reached its highest level in five years in 2006, despite a fourth-quarter slowdown.

In 2006, 200 venture-capital funds raised a total of almost $28.6 billion, compared with the 214 funds that raised $28 billion in 2005, according to data released Tuesday by Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association.

The fourth quarter saw a considerable slowdown, though, with 37 venture-capital funds raising $2.83 billion, down from the $5.43 billion raised in 66 funds in the third quarter and the $13.8 billion raised by 66 funds in the second quarter.

The report didn't include breakdowns by regions or states. (However, with the location of 40% of all VC Funds in the Bay Area you can assume that Northern CAL got a fair share of this funding raising $2.83 billion)

NVCA President Mark Heesen said the decline in private-equity fund raising in the fourth quarter was expected. 'On the venture side, we are coming to the end of the current fund-raising cycle as most firms are now turning their attention to investing the funds raised in the last three years,' Heesen said."