7 posts and columns on Mark Heesen

Voices

Venture Industry Cool to Easing Rules on Private Company Stock

in News on April 11, 2011 at 3:17 pm PT

News that the Securities and Exchange Commission is considering easing limitations on the sale of stock by private companies is a further sign that the Obama administration is conducting a sweeping review of the ability of growing, young businesses to tap capital markets.

Voices

A Defining Moment For Venture Capital

in News on October 7, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

If you encounter an official from the National Venture Capital Association, be careful asking the innocent question, “How’s it going?” Don’t expect the official to answer, “Oh you know, same-old, same-old.” Instead, you’ll likely get an earful.

Latest Check Shows Insufficient Venture Funds

in News on July 12, 2010 at 11:51 am PT

The “Darwinian contraction” in the venture capital industry continues with no end in sight. A joint study released today by the National Venture Capital Association and Thomson Reuters found that VC firms in the U.S. raised just $1.9 billion in the second quarter of 2010. That’s a nasty 49 percent decline from the $3.7 billion they raised in the first quarter.

Remember When Webvan Went Public? Good Times…Good Times.

in News on February 1, 2010 at 3:09 pm PT

Sand Hill Road, your day of reckoning is here. The National Venture Capital Association posted its latest Venture Capital Index today and it’s not much to look at. Why? Because a decade has passed since the dotcom bubble, and the Index’s 10-year figures no longer reflect that era’s distended returns.

Announcing the Silicon Valley Venture Capital Trepidation Index

in News on January 22, 2010 at 9:50 am PT

Venture capitalists, your calls for smaller funds and for more of an old-school approach to investing have been answered. VC investments last year were the lowest since 1997, according to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association released on Friday.
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Venture Capital Fundraising Absolutely Abysmal

in News on October 12, 2009 at 2:13 pm PT

What a lousy year this has proven to be for the venture capital industry. According to data released today by the National Venture Capital Association and Thomson Reuters, venture funds raised just $1.6 billion in the third quarter. That’s down 82 percent from a year ago and 21 percent from last quarter.
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IPO Market Just Really, Really Lousy

in News on April 1, 2009 at 1:25 pm PT

To hear tell from the National Venture Capital Association, the VC landscape is as burned out and desolate as the ashen vistas of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” According to its latest data, not a single venture-backed company went public in the first quarter of 2009 or the one that preceded it. That’s the first time the association has ever recorded two consecutive quarters with no issues.
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