Venture Capital Investing Hits Highest Since Dot-Com Boom

Funding to billion-dollar companies hits all-time record
Number of venture-capital-backed exits hits lowest since 2011

A monitor displays stock information on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Friday, Dec. 29, 2017. U.S. stocks fluctuated in thin trading on the final market day of 2017, while the dollar's slump continued as the euro headed for its best annual performance in 14 years.Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

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By Julie Verhage

January 9, 2018 at 5:01 AM UTC

Updated on

January 10, 2018 at 5:00 AM UTC

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Venture capital funding in the U.S. has hit its highest level since the dot-com era.

U.S. venture firms deployed $84 billion in more than 8,000 companies last year, according to research firm PitchBook. The last time this much money sloshed around Silicon Valley and other tech hubs, many venture firms lost their investments in the dot-com bust of the early aughts. That’s far less likely to happen today.