Total Venture Capital Dollars Invested in 2017 On Track to Reach Decade High

SEATTLE, Oct. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Investment into venture-backed companies in 2017 is on track to match or exceed dollars deployed in 2016, and if this pace holds, full-year 2017 venture capital (VC) dollars invested could be the highest in the past decade, according to the 3Q 2017 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor. Venture investors deployed $21.5 billion to more than 1,699 venture-backed companies during the third quarter, bringing 2017's total investment to $61.4 billion deployed across 5,948 deals to date. Mega-deals completed in the third quarter, like WeWork's $3 billion infusion of VC, helped inflate deal value and have become the new normal in VC where investors pump larger amounts of capital into fewer companies, especially in the later stages. In fact, deals that carried a valuation of $1 billion or more represented less than 1 percent of 2017 deal count, but nearly 22 percent of the aggregate deal value. Meanwhile, private equity firms are increasingly providing an alternative liquidity option for a tepid exit market, which is pacing for the lowest number of exits since 2010.

"We are witnessing an upward trend in the amount of capital deployed while the number of companies receiving investment continues to shrink.  However, if you peel back the onion, you uncover the influence unicorns are having on market dynamics, with investments by non-traditional investors into these companies inflating the overall dollars invested and valuations," said Bobby Franklin, President and CEO of NVCA.  "The trends of fewer companies receiving investment and the concentration of dollars into unicorns and later-stage rounds signal a new normal for the venture industry.  Sitting on record-levels of dry powder, venture investors will continue to deploy capital into innovative companies, albeit at a likely slower pace."

Investment activity
In 3Q 2017, aggregate deal value increased 40 percent from 3Q 2016, which comes as no surprise given the number of large, late-stage deals and $93 billion in available VC dry powder. Across all of 2017 to-date, late-stage deals have accounted for more than 20 percent of total deal count for the first time since 2012, while angel and seed investments have fallen below the 50 percent mark of completed financings for the first time in the same period. This activity highlights an underlying trend seen throughout 2017, with late-stage companies receiving more attention from investors and requiring larger rounds of financing; the amount of capital from deals $25 million or more is the highest tracked, at almost 65 percent of total capital invested. Unicorns like WeWork, Uber and Airbnb, are examples of this trend, as they've continued to raise record levels of capital, further boosting their valuations and delaying exits. For example, compared to 2016, there has been an 80 percent increase in median valuations for Series D+ investments.

Exit activity
With venture-backed companies pushing out their exit timelines, partly due to a larger pool of private funding available, the total number and value of exits has fallen significantly. So far in 2017, there were 530 venture-backed exits, on track for 707 exits for full-year 2017, compared to 839 total exits in all of 2016. While exit value has been somewhat buoyed by a handful of recent unicorn exits, 2017 exit value is also pacing to be the lowest since 2013. A closer look at exit types shows IPOs have dropped considerably, from 19 in 2Q to just 8 in 3Q, including Redfin, Kala Pharmaceuticals and Sienna Biopharmaceuticals. Interestingly, as the number of IPOs have decreased, private equity (PE) firms have stepped in at an increasing pace to purchase venture-backed companies. In fact, 2017 has seen the highest exit value from PE buyout transactions that PitchBook has ever recorded, at $5.22 billion or just over 18% of 2017 exits. Acquisitions have also slowed – just 112 corporate acquisitions were completed in 3Q, down from 166 in 2Q 2016.

Fundraising activity
Following several quarters of strong fundraising, 3Q activity declined considerably with just $5.3 billion raised across 34 funds, a marked decrease compared to $10.9 billion raised across 60 funds in 2Q 2017. On an annual basis, $24.4 billion has been raised so far in 2017, a slightly slower pace than 2016, which raised a total of $40.4 billion. While the slowdown seems significant, it's worth noting 963 funds have been raised since 2014, a large total on a historical basis. Additionally, general partners (GP) have adapted to the industry trend of larger deal sizes and valuations by raising larger funds and fewer follow-on micro VC funds. Median fund sizes in 2017 are 87 percent higher than funds raised in 2015. At this current pace, 2017 may still become the fourth consecutive year with more than $30 billion in fund commitments.

"Venture Capital activity remains healthy, following the cyclical nature of fundraising and capitalizing on promising investment opportunities for fund managers. Valuations have remained high as certain tech industries mature and investors benefit from more information on industry dynamics," said John Gabbert, CEO of PitchBook. "On the exit side, one of the more fascinating trends is the rise of non-traditional exits. We've seen a noteworthy uptick in PE buyouts as well as the formation of a special purpose acquisition company launched by Social Capital and Hedosophia with the common goal of purchasing a unicorn tech company. Fund managers will have interesting routes to create liquidity and return funds to investors moving forward."

Additional findings in this report include:

• VC investment activity by round size
• VC investment activity by stage (Angel & Seed, Early and Late)
• VC investment activity by first financings, sector and median size
• Exits by type, size & sector
• Fundraising by size & first-time funds
• League tables

To download the full report and data pack, please click here. PitchBook and NVCA will also be hosting a webinar to unpack the data further. See links to register below:

Member registration: http://nvca.force.com/?startURL=/apex/MN4__mnp_viewevent?id=a0X1J00000EO8kK

Non-Member registration: https://nvca.secure.force.com/MN4__PublicEventRegistration?id=a0X1J00000EO8kKUAT

About PitchBook

PitchBook is a financial data and software company that provides transparency into the capital markets to help professionals discover and execute opportunities with confidence and efficiency. PitchBook collects and analyzes detailed data on the entire venture capital, private equity and M&A landscape—including public and private companies, investors, funds, investments, exits and people. The company's data and analysis are available through the PitchBook Platform, industry news and in-depth reports. Founded in 2007, PitchBook has offices in Seattle, New York and London and serves more than 12,000 professionals around the world. In 2016, Morningstar acquired PitchBook, which now operates as an independent subsidiary. Visit www.PitchBook.com for more information about the company.

About National Venture Capital Association

Venture capitalists are committed to funding America's most innovative entrepreneurs, working closely with them to transform breakthrough ideas into emerging growth companies that drive U.S. job creation and economic growth.  As the voice of the U.S. venture capital community, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) empowers its members and the entrepreneurs they fund by advocating for policies that encourage innovation and reward long-term investment.  As the venture community's preeminent trade association, the NVCA serves as the definitive resource for venture capital data and unites its member firms through a full range of professional services.  For more information about the NVCA, please visit www.nvca.org.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/total-venture-capital-dollars-invested-in-2017-on-track-to-reach-decade-high-300533588.html

SOURCE PitchBook

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]