SmallBusinessExecutiveInforming, Inspiring and Connecting Businesses
Angel investor market picks up: UNH analysis
Submitted by the Center for Venture Research DURHAM, N.H. – Following a considerable contraction in investment dollars in 2008 and 2009, the angel investor market continued to recover in 2011, a trend that began in 2010 in investment dollars and in the number of investments, according to the 2011 Angel Market Analysis released by the [...]
Bankers bearish on U.S. IPO market: BDO
While early projections for IPOs in 2012 aren’t promising, Lee Graul of BDO USA points out that investor confidence can change quickly. By Ann Meyer The bull IPO market that many were predicting a year ago might take a bit longer to materialize. While Groupon made headlines when it raised about $800 million in a [...]
Seasoned entrepreneurs forecast disruptive technology will fuel new startups
By Ann Meyer For SmallBusinessExecutive Expect to see rapid change in Chicago’s business community in the coming year, as technology disrupts old industries. “Think about what the Internet has done in the last 10 years,” said Matt McCall, partner at New World Ventures. It has created companies, while putting others out of business. “I also [...]
Capital constraints deter job creation: poll
By Ann Meyer With President Barack Obama expected to announce a jobs act Thursday night, experts said what small businesses want most is access to capital. Without capital, small businesses often are constrained from adding workers. And after business owners are turned down for bank loans or other types of financing, they often are reluctant [...]
Quinn approves new Illinois tech fund to attract capital for high-growth firms
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn today signed into law a bill creating the Technology Development Account II, which will use money from the state Treasurer’s investment pool to support technology companies. Proponents say the new law will help attract venture capital and seed-stage funding for technology firms in the state, which would lead to job growth. [...]
New state-funded technology account could mean $150 million-plus in venture capital
The Illinois Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a bill that authorizes 2 percent of the state Treasurer’s investment portfolio to be used for a fund-of-funds supporting technology companies. The House approved the measure May 31, and Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign the bill. The legislation creates the Technology Development Account II, which will [...]
GrubHub flush with $20 million in new capital
Without even trying, Chicago-based GrubHub has raised $20 million in new venture capital, bringing to $34 million the amount of private investment in the company, chief executive Matt Maloney said today. “We didn’t go out looking at all,” Maloney said. But following the company’s round of $11 million last fall from Benchmark Capital in [...]
News digest: Jobless taxes, FDA regulation, new SBA program
Unemployment tax plan pushes burden to employers. Republicans and business groups are opposing a White House proposal to help debt-burdened states repay an estimated $42 billion to the federal government by raising unemployment-insurance taxes, the Wall Street Journal reported. President Barack Obama’s proposal would raise the level of wages subject to unemployment taxes to $15,000 [...]
Illinois funding gap sends startups out of state for capital
By Ann Meyer – Story updated at 10 a.m. Tuesday. When Jabber Jury officially goes live with its online programming, it will be largely due to out-of-state venture capital that funded the Chicago startup. The company had little more than a concept to show investors last November when it attracted $1.2 million from Everett Palmer, [...]
GrubHub nabs more growth capital
Watch for online restaurant delivery service GrubHub to continue adding jobs, now that it has raised $11 million in a new round of venture capital from Benchmark Capital in Menlo Park, Calif. The new funding, which brings to about $14 million the total investment capital GrubHub has raised, will allow the company to expand to new [...]
