Venture capital investment surges 24% in 2011

Canada's venture capital investment surged to $1.5 billion in 2011, up 24% from 2010 but well below the $2.1 billion invested in 2007. The funding went to 444 domestic firms, with the greatest increases in information (41%), clean tech (43%) and life sciences (15%). VC fund raising remained flat in 2011 at $1 billion. Canada's Venture Capital & Private Equity Association commissioned the latest data from Thompson Reuters. It attributed the improvement in VC investment to "rising levels of entrepreneurship, the activity of business incubators, and R&D incentives", notably SR&ED....