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Venture capitalist says it is a "precarious moment" in markets after looking at more than 100 companies to take public with two SPACs and not finding a deal "SPAC King" Chamath Palihapitiya Closing Two SPACs After Failing to Find Deals. [Extracted from the article]

Funding is suddenly scarce as venture capital firms grow stingy, forcing young companies to get frugal and focus on breaking even. [Extracted from the article]

Deals led by nontraditional investors have valuations that are on average five times the valuations in deals led by traditional venture capitalists, data from PitchBook show. Keywords: chartlos; Trusts/Funds/Financial Vehicles; Private Equity; Mutual Funds; Alternative Investments; Financial Services; Hedge Funds; Investing/Securities; Technology; Venture Capital EN chartlos Trusts/Funds/Financial Vehicles Private Equity Mutual Funds Alternative Investments Financial Services Hedge Funds Investing/Securities Technology Venture Capital N.PAG N.PAG 1 08/03/21 20210802 NES 210802 Hedge, mutual and pension funds are investing heavily, leading to higher valuations and more leverage for company founders The world's largest investment funds are descending on Silicon Valley with unprecedented financial force, roiling the once-niche business of tech startup funding and crowding out traditional venture capitalists. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the business strategy of Santa Clara, California, bank Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), particularly its relationships with high technology startup companies and investors. According to the article, SVB assists venture-capital firms in funding investments and offers mortgages to startup company founders and venture capitalists on an invitation-only basis. The article examines the high risks and rewards of SVB's business strategy and that of its parent company, SVB Financial Group. The article presents comments from SVB chief executive officer (CEO) Gregory Becker.

The article discusses the significance of Menlo Park, California, venture-capital firm Sequoia Capital in investing in high-technology startup companies during the early 21st century. According to the article, Sequoia had channeled millions of dollars to well-connected individuals such as entrepreneur Jason Calacanis known as scouts to invest in firms such as Uber Technologies Inc., Thumbtack Inc., and Cisco Systems Inc.

Excerpts of an interview with investment company Benchmark venture capitalist Bill Gurley are presented in which he discusses the significantly high valuations of high technology companies during the early 21st century and the importance of initial public offerings (IPOs) as the true measure of liquidity. According to the article, Gurley believes that high technology firms based in Silicon Valley, California, and venture-backed businesses were on an unstable path.

The article reports that Matt Murphy, a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, will leave the company. Murphy fired former Kleiner employee Ellen Pao and testified in her unsuccessful sex discrimination lawsuit against the company. Software makers AppDynamics Inc, and SimpliVity Corp. are among Kleiner’s investments Murphy was involved with.

The article reports a jury in San Francisco, California ruled that venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers was not guilty of sexual discrimination or retaliation toward former partner Ellen Pao. Pao alleged Kleiner Perkins had assigned her low-level work and acted against her when she complained about it.

The article discusses a trend in the U.S. high technology industry of technology startup companies' founders' selling some or all of their stake in their company to venture capitalists (VCs) before the company has gained traction. Topics include the desire of venture capital firms to own as many shares as possible in companies likely to be successful; the risks and benefits of this model to founders; and conditions in the venture capital market.

This article analyzes the economic conditions of venture-capital firms, which are experiencing low investments and returns. The author outlines the case of Ignition Partners, which has underperformed since its formation in 2000 and has led to the dismissal of investment partners, an increased focus on business-technology startups only, and the downsizing of its investment fund, a route that many venture-capital firms are also taking.

The article discusses the economic misfortunes of several venture capitalists and prominent investors in initial public offerings (IPOs) of Internet companies as of June 19, 2012. According to the article, the IPOs of companies such as U.S. online social network firms Facebook Inc. and Zynga Inc. did not pay off as previously expected for early investors.

The article discusses efforts by venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to secure investments in fast-growing Internet companies. Kleiner Perkins is considered to have missed early opportunities to invest in particularly promising firms, and is taking steps to catch up. The company has hired Internet analyst Mary Meeker and started a fund aimed specifically at investing in social Internet companies.

The article looks at the economic influence of high-technology industries on the venture-capital industry, focusing on how the benefits of initial public offerings (IPOs) for Internet companies are being disproportionately reaped by brand-name venture firms. Venture capital firms discussed include Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Accel Partners.

The article reports that entrepreneurs sometimes have trouble reaching their venture-capital (VC) investors for advice. Difficult economic circumstances have led to a situation where some VC investors sit on more boards of directors than might be optimal, thus making their time for consultation scarce. Although survey data suggest four is the recommended number of boards for a VC investor, some sit on ten or more.

The article focuses on Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya of the venture capital Social Capital who has angered his industry by criticizing its lack of diversity. It presents views of Sue Khim, chief executive of Brilliant.org, on Palihapitiya. It states that workplace diversity has been an afterthought at most venture-capital firms.

The article discusses the popularity of consumer-goods companies among venture-capital firms. Venture capitalist Paul Fireman is negotiating to invest over $30 million in jeans-maker Hudson Jeans. In late 2008 VMG equity bought a controlling share of Robert's American Gourmet Foods. Venture capitalists maintain that during a recession consumers are less likely to reduce spending on food and certain kinds of clothing than on other items.

The article informs that U.S. venture-capital firms are looking to invest in European biotechnology companies as of December 2015, and mentions the views of Nooman Haque, director at Silicon Valley Bank, on the lower valuations than their stateside counterparts.