Who's Getting Venture Capital?

Keywords: business plans for venture capital

It is no secret that venture capital for startups is hard to come by. I keep preaching, however, that there IS money there, and that deals ARE being made. So I thought you would like to see what happened in one week with venture capital financing for startups:

There were eight startups.

!. J. Hilburn, a retailer, which is backed by early stage tech investor Battery Ventures.
Details: J. Hilburn sells custom men's clothing. It raised $4 million to help it develop technology that manages a more efficient supply chain for textile suppliers to reach consumers.

2. BookTour Inc. San Francisco www.booktour.com
Amount/Round: $350K/Series A
Investors: Amazon.com.
Details: Operates an online directory of events for book authors. The company's chairman is Christopher Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired and author of The Long Tail.

3. Goom Radio New York www.goomradio.com
Amount/Round: $16M/ Series A
Investors: Wellington Partners Venture Capital, Elaia Partners, Partech International.
Details: Operates an online radio network. The company has been up and running in France since the Fall of 2008 and launched in the United States in March 2009.

4. Foundation Radiology Group Pittsburgh www.frg-rad.com
Amount/Round: $10M/ Series A
Investors: Chrysalis Ventures (led), Health Evolution Partners.
Details: Provides diagnostic imaging professional services for hospitals and other health care institutions.

5. TalentSpring Inc. Seattle www.talentspring.com
Amount/Round: $1.6M/ Series A
Investors: Second Avenue Partners.
Details: Provides semantic search solutions for job recruiters.

6. ExtraHop Networks Inc. Seattle www.extrahop.com Amount/Round: $5.1M/ Series A

7. TalentSpring Inc. Seattle www.talentspring.com
Amount/Round: $1.6M/ Series A
Investors: Second Avenue Partners.
Details: Provides semantic search solutions for job recruiters.

8. EnergyHub Inc. Brooklyn, N.Y. www.energyhub.net
Amount/Round: Undisclosed amount/ Series A
Investors: 406 Ventures, Physic Ventures.
Details: Develops home energy management solutions.

The diversity of these projects is impressive. Yes, internet is prominent, but not required. Even retail is getting a shot at venture money, a surprising development for many.

So you think the money isn't there? Well, it is. Our advice remains: develop the strongest venture capital business plan you can, take the company as far as you can on your own, and go for it.