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vFinance offers a comprehensive directory of over 1,400 venture capital companies. The only drawback is that it is a couple years old, so many of the companies listed no longer exist and there are many companies that are not listed. Nonetheless, this directory is a great resource. It provides a short summary of the company and its recent progress.
Link to This Resource: Venture Capital Firms Directory
http://privateequityblogger.com/2008/06/venture-capital-firms-directory.html
Venture capital firms are typically private partnerships funded by pension and endowment funds, corporations, venture capitalists, and largely wealthy individuals. The venture capital firm opens a fund, pooling money from investors to expand smaller companies.
Starting a Fund
A venture capital firm will attract investors and pool their money in a fund. This fund is operated by the venture capital firm which discovers promising startup and smaller companies to invest the fund's money in. The purpose is to profit from the company's future success. Investors supply various amounts of money, amassing a substantial sum for the manager to invest.
Investing
The firm or fund has an investment profile and invests accordingly, for example a fund may focus on electronics and invest in emerging electronics companies. The hope is that the capital provided to the company will help it grow to a point that it generates high returns to the venture capital fund's investors. Profits result from expansion through an initial public offering (IPO) or another company purchasing the company. If either a public offering where the public is able to buy shares of the company or an acquisition occurs then the fund cashes out. If the venture is a success the investors receive more money than their initial investment.
Risk
Venture capital is naturally a risky business and venture capital firms suffer many failed investments, but a company that succeeds often generates huge profits that overshadow other losses for the fund.
Link to This Resource: Venture Capital Firms
http://privateequityblogger.com/2008/06/venture-capital-firms.html
The 2007 Entrepreneur list of the top 100 venture capital firms are ranked by the number of deals the firm made in 2006. The following are the top ten, click here for the full venture capital firms list:
Link to This Resource: Top Venture Capital Firms
http://privateequityblogger.com/2008/06/top-venture-capital-firms.html
