Chart of the Week: Venture Capital/Growth Equity fundraising by region

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Venture capital fundraising for Asia Pacific fell to a four year low last year, according to data from Private Equity International’s Research and Analytics team. In 2013, 50 funds closed raising a fifth of the capital collected in 2011. Competitiveness Enhancement Fund was the largest fund to close last year at $1.46 billion. The debut fund managed by Development Bank of Japan, invests in domestic companies, supporting the country's innovation and expansion.

In 2011, venture capital funds targeting Asia Pacific raised $47.6 billion from 195 funds. Taoshi Energy Equity Investment Fund I, which secured $3.2 billion, is the largest venture capital fund targeting the region to close to date.

North American venture capital fundraising has steadily been increasing since 2010. Khosla Ventures III closed in 2010 at $1 billion – $250 million more than its target. West Midlands Pension Fund and Alameda County Employees Retirement Association (ACERA) are some of the LPs that committed to the fund.

Last year, EnCap Energy Capital Fund IX became the largest North American focused venture capital fund to close, collecting $5.15 billion. The fund held a final close within four months of its launch and had LPs such as District of Columbia Retirement Board and Texas Tech University committing to the fund.