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Venture CapitalVenture capital is a form of investment that firms use to invest in startups and other emerging organizations with high growth potential. In other words, VC firms bet on companies with hopes that they’ll grow into larger corporate powerhouses.
Venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Kleiner Perkins are best known for helping fund some of the buzziest business movements of our time, from the cryptocurrency boom to the current AI craze. In 2023, US VC investments totaled roughly $170B, falling significantly from the roughly $242B invested in 2022.
These investments are considered highly risky. Roughly 75% of VC-backed companies will fail. That means the other portfolio companies need to provide significant returns to make up for all the companies that don’t yield returns.Explore Venture Capital
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Asia-Pacific's share of global venture capital investment has jumped from 3% to 28% in 20 yearsChina has driven much of that growth due to its manufacturing power and tech sector. This graphic shows how the share of total venture capital deal value changed around the world between 1997 and 2023. Visual CapitalistExplore the differences between private equity, venture capital, and hedge fundsPrivate equity firms focus on buying and improving private companies with the intent to sell them for profit or take them public. Venture capital is technically a form of private equity in which investors focus on startups and generally don't seek majority control of the company. Hedge funds are pooled investments for sophisticated investors that pursue a wide range of often complex strategies. HarvardThe venture capital mindset is shaping the US into a 'portfolio state'For decades, the US has operated as a low-regulation, private-sector-driven, globalized economy (also known as neoliberalism). In recent years, the Trump administration has taken direct stakes (rather than providing subsidies) in private companies with strategic products like semiconductors and rare earths. This paper argues the approach allows the US to capture the upside of growth. Foreign Policy Research InstituteAngel investors typically fund a startup at an earlier stage than venture capitalistsAngel investors and venture capitalists both invest in startups, but they differ in a few key ways. Angel investors typically invest earlier and in a smaller amount. Encyclopedia BritannicaLegendary venture capitalist Peter Thiel once wrote that 'competition is for losers'With Peter Thiel's "Monopoly Theory," the Founders Fund partner argued that investing in companies that create new categories, rather than those that compete with other businesses in existing ones, is a best practice in venture capital. Knowledge at WhartonHow venture capital firms came to beThe venture capital firm that kickstarted an industry. 1440A venture capitalist argues that baby boomers raised the national debtIn his book "A Generation of Sociopaths," venture capitalist Bruce Cannon Gibney places blame for the nation’s rising debt squarely in the hands of baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964. They’ve failed to address long-term issues, focusing only on present consumption to the detriment of future generations, he says. Maclean'sThe main bank serving Silicon Valley startups and venture capitalists collapsed in 2023Silicon Valley Bank—the 16th largest bank in the US—served many tech startups in the area as well as many venture capitalists. The bank collapsed in 2023—in a single day, bankers took out $42B. NPRSome venture capitalists believe cryptocurrency will revolutionize global financeSome of the brightest minds at Andreesen-Horowitz, one of the country’s leading venture capital firms, believe the cryptocurrency ecosystem will revolutionize global finance in the coming decades. This podcast recounts, through their view, the history of crypto, how it works, and trends they see emerging in the future. Andreessen HorowitzIn 2023, venture capital firms invested $170B in over 15,000 US companiesThat's a significant drop from 2022’s $242B, reflecting market uncertainty but continuing VC’s role in scaling transformative ideas. Rooted in early risk-sharing models, venture capital took off with firms like ARDC in 1946, later evolving into today’s influential players like Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. 1440 Daily DigestThe Forbes Midas List is an annual ranking of the world's top 100 venture capitalistsTo qualify, investors are ranked by portfolio companies that have gone public or been acquired for at least $200M in the past five years, or that have at least doubled their private valuation to $400M or more over the same period. ForbesThe 19th-century whaling industry is similar to the modern venture capital systemWhaling was like VC in that it was highly lucrative but characterized by low-probability payoffs. Both industries rely on extreme returns from a very small subset of investments. Nantucket Historical AssociationVenture capitalists were once bullish on DTC brandsWhile a physical store can only hold so many objects, online retailers without the limits of four walls that could sell their products direct-to-consumer could theoretically be great investments. But they didn’t always provide investors with expected returns. Retail DiveVenture capital explained through Lego bricksThis Lego video provides a simple yet broad explanation of the venture capital industry while going easy on the finance jargon. ForbesAndreessen Horowitz is among the most well-known venture capital firmsAlso known as a16z, the firm has invested in companies such as Airbnb, Facebook, and Lyft since its founding in 2009. A podcast episode offers a deep dive into how the firm got started and became the industry disruptor it is today. AcquiredFind out how venture capitalists make decisionsMore than 30% of venture capital deals come from leads courtesy of a VC’s former colleagues or professional network. You can learn more about how venture capitalists decide which companies to invest in by reading this article. Harvard Business ReviewCarried interest is a share of the profits that a venture capital firm’s general partners earnAlso known as "carry" for short, carried interest is roughly 20% of a fund’s returns, but the exact percentage varies between firms. InvestopediaFrom 19th-century whalers to startup accelerators, venture capital has a pretty exciting historyWhile the aforementioned whaling industry has a lot of similarities to today’s venture fund models, the first modern venture capital firm wasn’t founded until 1946. OpenVCSee the anatomy of a venture capital firmVenture capital firms get the money they use to invest in companies from limited partners, also called LPs. It’s the general partner’s job to manage that money and invest it in the right startups. GoingVCVenture capital is a type of financing that firms and funds use to invest in startups they believe have the potential for long-term growthHousehold name companies such as Airbnb and Uber might not exist without venture capital, which is commonly referred to as "VC" for short. InvestopediaExplore a bank of deep-dive video lectures from leading venture capital firm a16zCrypto Startup School from a16z is a series of lectures and discussions given by experts to help technologists learn how to build cryptocurrency companies. Andreessen HorowitzWarren Buffett retired at the age of 95Buffett said that he would pull back from his day-to-day role leading Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025. This long-form retrospective on his career paints him as an increasingly unique American role model. The AtlanticAngel investors often come together as a syndicateStartups raise money in different rounds from investors that include their friends and family, angels, and venture capital funds. These types of investors serve different purposes. The SECNonprofit VC funds invest in startups, but have donors instead of LPsExamples include Andreessen Horowitz’s TxO (Talent x Opportunity) Initiative and Fifth Star Funds, which allows donors to write “Friends & Family” checks for Black tech founders. HubSpot71% of equity investments in Q1 2025 went to AI companiesThat's up from just 14% in 2020, according to JPMorgan, which recently conducted an analysis of venture capital investment trends in the US. Visual CapitalistThe woman who coined the term ‘girlboss’ now has a VC firm called Trust FundIn 2006, Amoruso founded the clothing company Nasty Gal, then later wrote a memoir called “#Girlboss” about her company’s meteoric rise. Later, she launched other ventures, including her “Business Class” business coaching series and the venture capital fund “Trust Fund.” Masters of ScaleThe fintech industry was worth roughly $340B as of 2025Venture capitalists have been bullish on the industry’s future in recent years, too. Some estimate that global investment in fintech increased by 12,000% between 2008 and 2020. Going VCThe dot-com bubble burst in 2000 when the Nasdaq dropped more than 76% in 2 yearsBetween 1995 and 2000, the Nasdaq index jumped from 1,000 to 5,000 amid excitement over new Internet companies. As venture capitalists dumped money into startups, those same companies struggled to turn a profit, leading to a bubble. The Nasdaq wouldn't reach its former high until 2015. InvestopediaSahin Boydas was 2024’s most active angel investorOthers who were among 2024’s top angel investors in terms of their number of angel investments in unique companies included Google’s Jeff Dean, Solana’s Anatoly Yakovenko, and more. Lenny's NewsletterIn 2025, American tech companies will spend $300B to $400B on AIThat is, in nominal dollars, more than any group of companies has ever spent to do anything. Notably, these companies are not remotely close to earning $400B on artificial intelligence. SpotifyFamily offices have been increasing their allocations to private creditPrivate firms that manage family fortunes have been investing more in alternatives like venture capital and real estate, impacting the wider financial world. CNBCPrivate equity is viewed as an alternative investmentThese different types of private equity include venture capital, growth equity, and buyouts. Business Insights BlogCEO Gary Tan explains Y Combinators guiding philosophyHear YC President and CEO Garry Tan talk about why he values earnesty and excellent communication skills in YC founders, his thoughts on AI, and more in this unexpectedly deep and in-depth interview. The Knowledge Project with Shane ParrishY Combinator changed the way startups around the world are builtMany of the philosophies that the leaders of Y Combinator have infused into the program’s portfolio companies have become the playbook for building the next big thing, such as its focus on founder personality and more. WIRED87% of the startups in Y Combinator’s Fall 2025 batch were AI companiesY Combinator also recently increased its number of cohorts or “batches” per year from two to four. Its leaders cited artificial intelligence’s rise as a reason for the increase. Fast Company‘Demo days’ are when founders at Y Combinator pitch their startup ideasInvestors sit in the audience, waiting to hear what this season’s batch of YC founders have cooked up. YC argues that going through the process of a demo day can help founders get a better understanding of their startup themselves. Y CombinatorDive deep into the numbers that shape each YC dealY Combinator invests $500K into each company in any given batch. $125K of that investment converts into a fixed 7% in ownership of the startup, and the other $375K is invested on something called an uncapped MFN safe. YC explains what that means and more terms of the deal in a detailed article on their website Y CombinatorRead Paul Graham’s initial post announcing YC’s first batchIn March 2005, Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham announced the program that would become Y Combinator on his website. Paul GrahamSeed funding is often the first round of capital that a startup raisesEarly-stage startups often try to secure seed funding from investors in order to take their idea from concept to reality. The Motley FoolStartup accelerators offer mentorship and seed funding in exchange for equityThose programs, such as Y Combinator and Techstars, not only offer expert advice to founders, but also seed funding in exchange for equity. The goal is to help young startups learn from successful companies, making it more likely they attract venture capital. Silicon Valley BankWeWork’s S-1 was full of alarming financial and business information that concerned investors and the publicWhen WeWork’s S-1 came out, investors were particularly concerned about WeWork’s expenses far outpacing its growing revenue and its complex company structure, as well as a few potential conflicts of interest within the company. CNBC‘I realized after I got there it was a cult,’ one former WeWork executive saidWeWork isn’t only known for how it revolutionized modern work, or its spectacular financial rise and fall. It’s also known for its former cultlike company culture under former CEO Adam Neumann, complete with a charismatic leader and “summer camp” company retreats that blurred the lines between work and personal life. Vanity FairSee Silicon Valley's real estate, employment, population, and innovation statisticsAs a leader in the global economy, Silicon Valley's growth is closely watched around the world. In 2025, companies in the region posted $92B in venture capital deals and created 23,000 new patents. The average wage in the region is $189K, which is much higher than the national average, but the median home price sits around $2.25M—which calls the sustainability of the region's living standards into question. Joint Venture Silicon ValleyVenture firm a16z's crypto canonAndreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a leading venture capital firm with deep expertise in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. For 10 years, the firm has built its internal knowledge in the area, and archived a wide range of explainers exploring everything from fundamentals to emerging crypto trends, and much more. a16z cryptoUnlike small businesses, startups aim to disrupt entire industriesThey also differ from small businesses in that startups have a higher level of risk, may take on outside funding from venture capital firms to boost growth, and more. NerdWalletThe dot-com bubble burst in the early 2000s If you’ve heard of companies like Google and Yahoo, you’re already partially familiar with the dot-com bubble: a period from roughly 1995 to 2001, when internet companies were the hottest thing in venture capital. The “bubble” part of the term refers to the industry’s eventual implosion. The StreetThe world’s top 20 cities for startups include San Francisco In 2023, Singapore had the highest venture capital funding per capita in the world. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best place to have a startup. In 2023, PitchBook analyzed data to determine the world’s best startup city, including fundraising activity, venture capital deals, and exit value. San Francisco ranked as No. 1. See which other locales landed in the top 20 with this graphic. Visual CapitalistThe American Research and Development Corporation is considered the first modern VC firmBest known for investing in companies that wanted to utilize some of the technology developed during World War II, the ARDC’s cofounders all held prestigious positions at places like MIT and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. GoingVC80% of a VC firm's returns come from 20% of the deals, per VC's 'power law'Early-stage startups are highly risky investments. Many companies in a VC portfolio will not provide any significant return. Altos VenturesStanford and Harvard are among the universities producing the most startup foundersNot all startup founders are created equal. A data visualization of the universities that produce the most startup founders is based on the number of alums who have raised venture capital funding for their companies. That means these alums had to do much more than put "entrepreneur" in their LinkedIn bio to be considered startup founders. Visual Capitalist
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