From Altassets.com

This year has seen the size of US venture capital funds grow considerably, compared to 2004, according to a recent survey by VentureOne, which contains the results of the first three quarters of 2005.

More than 30 per cent of the funds that have closed so far in 2005 were in the $250m to $499m range, compared to 20 per cent last year. Five per cent of the funds that closed in 2005 are between $500m and $999m in size, the most funds of this size completed since 2001.

John Gabbert, vice president of worldwide research at VentureOne, said, ‘Despite the larger funds, fundraising, of course, has yet to match the levels raised during the 1998 to 2001 timeframe.

‘But we are seeing that the venture capital industry has reached a level of sustainability, with venture investors closing funds at a close pace to the level they are investing, which reached $5.49bn in the US in the third quarter,’ Gabbert continued.

At the three-quarter-year mark, US venture capital firms have raised $15.93bn, indicating that the year is on track to potentially surpass the $18.43bn raised in 2004.

Over the past ten years the highest amount of capital raised were the $83.05bn raised in 2000.