Biotech Boom Finally Fizzles

Drying up of IPOs expected to hit tech ventures especially hard

(NEWSER) - Troubles hitting the Wall Street giants promise particularly dark days ahead for the tech business world, analysts tell CNET News. The problems are bound to stifle mergers and acquisitions in the tech industry and further dampen the market for initial public offerings. IPOs have already slowed to a trickle—and may soon grind to a halt. More»

(USER SUBMITTED) - So much to choose from; such a short list. Weighing in as the heavyweight champion of all time among venture capitalist bombs—Webvan, the brain-dead effort to use the Internet and a series of high-tech warehouses to deliver low-margin groceries. But at least there was a there there. More»

(NEWSER) - Marc Andreessen, the tech pioneer who co-founded Netscape, launched a boutique venture capital firm today, intent on investing in “anything that involves chips and computers.” Though Andreessen and business partner Ben Horowitz have been dropping angel investments around Silicon Valley for years, they’ll now have much more capital at their disposal, to the tune of an initial capitalization of $300 million, Wired reports. More»

Confidence gradually rebounding with stimulus plan

(NEWSER) - Venture capitalists are starting to get their confidence back after an exceptionally timid year, the New York Times reports. A key index shows the administration's efforts to stabilize the economy have given investors glimmers of hope. "There is some degree of stability in the financial markets and that allows a little bit of optimism that we will get to the other side of this thing," says the survey's publisher. More»

Investments will be in non-Internet fields

(NEWSER) - Google will launch a venture capital fund next year with an initial capitalization of about $100 million, reports the Wall Street Journal. Unlike other corporate funds that back companies in their own industries, Google Ventures will look beyond the Internet to also invest in biotech, health care, and environmental technology. The fund managers say they are looking to “find young companies with truly awesome potential.” More»