Two Reports Show Surge in VC Investment for 2011 and Hopes for 2012

Venture capital investment climbed in 2011, despite a slip in the fourth quarter, according to a report released Friday by Dow Jones VentureSource. The research was mirrored by another report by the National Venture Capital Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The VentureSource study shows a 10 percent rise in venture capital investment for the whole of 2011. The increase made for a total volume of $32.6 billion. The number of deals reached 3,209, marking a 6 percent increase from the previous year.

Meanwhile the joint NVCA-PwC report shows venture capitalists invested $28.4 billion across 3,673 deals in 2011, reflecting a 22 percent increase in VC dollar volume from the previous year.

"As previously projected, venture capital investing in 2011 exceeded 2010 levels and ranks in the top three years for VC investing in the past decade," said Tracy Lefteroff, managing partner of VC practice at PwC. "We saw a resurgence in investments in clean technology and internet-specific companies in 2011, as well as a bit of a jump in average funding in the internet sector."

Investors are pining for a number of high-profile public offerings in 2012, the most notable of which is an anticipated $10 billion Facebook IPO this spring.