According to Toptal, the venture capital sector has grown by 12.1% annually since the financial crisis. The same source tells us that the amount of capital raised per year has grown by 100% over the decade.
Hundreds of venture capitalists are backing up startups and entrepreneurs with billions of dollars each year. Many businesses rely on these VC investments and entire economies depend on it.
When choosing to back up projects, most investors look for innovation, expertise, and profitable opportunities. I’m going to take a look at some of the top tier venture capitalists and their investments in the field of enterprise tech and AI.
Companies with a focus on AI have collected over 9.3 billion dollars in the US during 2018. The number of venture capital investments keeps growing on a global scale, opening up new opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs who are looking for their golden ticket to the enterprise tech and AI space.
As stated on Kurtosys, venture capital deals ranged between $10 million and $25 million in the US ten years ago. Today, there is a trend of $50 million plus deals getting a greater share of total investment.
Top tier macro venture capitalists in the startup ecosystem include Benchmark, Index Ventures, Felicis Ventures, and Union Square Ventures.
Benchmark has thus far made 590 investments with their most recent one being in December of 2019 when over 60 million dollars was invested in Wildlife Studios. They focus on early-stage venture investing in mobile and enterprise tech startups.
Index Ventures is a London-based investment group that focuses on early startup investments and business expansion opportunities. Their most notable achievement is the creation of a $1.65 billion fund focused on technology startups. It is worth noting that Index Ventures has already invested in software and cloud storage giants such as Dropbox and Zuora.
Must not forget Felicis Ventures, a growing San Francisco-based venture capital firm with a focus on enterprise tech and AI startups. The firm has formed six funds thus far, with their largest fund being worth over $270 million.
Lastly, Union Square Ventures is a New York-based investment firm that became one of the top venture capital funds in the world. The company manages investments worth billions of dollars.They focus on startup investments and the financing of all stages of technology startup expansion.
Even micro and local venture capitalists such as Northstar Ventures and Base Ventures are hitting these large numbers. On the local micro VC side, Aybuben Ventures, the first Pan-Armenian venture capitalist fund focused on Armenian tech entrepreneurs.
With a fund of over $50 million, Aybuben Ventures is not limited to people in Armenia only. On the contrary, the fund is open to Armenians all over the world who are engaged in enterprise tech business and development. “Armenians live all over the world and they are proud of their culture and don’t want to lose their identity. Potentially this creates a huge global pool of entrepreneurs, professionals, capital, companies and knowledge which can be leveraged and scaled in any of the world’s economies. That said, we welcome interest in our foundation, from any organization and without regard to nationality,” said Alexander Smbatyan, one of the founding partners of Aybuben Ventures.
Overall, the venture capital space keeps growing, providing technology startups with sufficient funding for growth and expansion. “There is an innate disposition to develop companies that make extensive use of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, biotechnology and more,” Smbatyan added as one of the reasons why it is worth to invest in the space of enterprise tech and AI.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
