Managers

MoneyTree finds steadying U.S. investment environment in Q1

VCs invested $12 billion in Q1, according to MoneyTree

LP diligence on the rise with venture fundraising in high gear

VCs acting while the iron is hot and raising funds at record pace, but LPs remain cautious for first-time managers

Venture investing falls in Q1 to $13.9 bln, VentureSource reports

More evidence of a slowing venture ecosystem comes as Dow Jones VentureSource reports that U.S.-based investments in the first quarter plunged to $13.5 billion, a 27 percent drop from the fourth quarter.

GREE raises $12 mln fund to back virtual-reality startups

GREE, which operates a social network that users interact with through games on their phones, announced the launch of a $12 million fund to support virtual reality startups. Besdies GREE, limited partners in the fund include Colopl VR Fund and mixi. The fund, called GVR Fund, is managed by San Francisco-based GREE VR Capital LLC. It has already invested in two VR-related companies: VRChat Inc and SPACES Inc. GVR Fund is interested in gaming and non-gaming software and content companies.

Foundry Group to raise $500 mln for its Next initiative

Foundry Group has set out to raise $500 million for its Foundry Group Next initiative, according to a filing with the SEC.

Spark to raise $500 mln second growth fund

Spark Capital has set out to raise a $500 million second growth fund, according to a filing with the SEC.

Fuel Capital tops off with second fund at nearly $46.2 mln

San Francisco-based Fuel Capital, an investor in Clearbit, Interana, Julep and Secret. among others, has raised $46.195 million for its second fund, according to a regulatory filing. The firm raised $25.5 million for its inaugural fund in 2013, according to Thomson Reuters.

Dashboard: Fundraising keeps climbing in March

M&A also takes a leap forward in March, thanks to a large acquisition of a VC-backed company by Cisco

GGV Capital raises nearly $1.2 bln as venture fundraising streak continues: Reuters

GGV Capital, which invests in the United States and China, has raised $1.15 in capital for two new funds

Knight Therapeutics commits to Forbion's third life sciences fund

European life sciences venture capital firm Forbion Capital Partners has closed its third fund, Forbion Capital Fund III (FCF III), at 183 million euros (US$208 million). Among the fund's limited partners was strategic investor Knight Therapeutics Inc (TSX: GUD), a Canadian specialty pharmaceutical company. Early last year, Forbion led the $13.5 million Series B financing of enGene Inc, a Montréal-based developer of novel DNA-based therapeutics.