AlwaysOn Announces Globespan Capital Partners as One of the Top Ten Venture Capital Firms of 2012
After several years of shaky exit returns, the high-tech sector bounced back with a list of exceptionally profitable IPOs and acquisitions. This year's Top 10 VC Firms represent a wide range of investments, from Internet to cloud infrastructure to mobile to enterprise. And while the consumer Internet IPOs may have grabbed the most attention, the M&A market remained sharp and focused, with several companies topping the $1 billion price point, including Instagram, Skype, NextG Networks, and Endeca.
AlwaysOn editors compiled the Top 10 VC Firms of 2012 list with help from our research partners at Morgan Stanley and the 451 Group. The winning venture firms were selected based on total number and dollar amounts of successful M&A and IPO deals during the last two years (October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2012) from their portfolio companies. We acknowledge that our editors were not privy to the valuations paid by investors at each respective round of financing, so this list is based upon our best educated estimation.
This year's winners list nears an astounding $350 billion in exit value, which clearly reveals a strong demand for quality tech companies, both in the public and M&A arenas. 2013 promises even more liquidity in the private company marketplace, with a bounty of late-stage companies on the exit horizon. Following are this year's Top 10 VC Firms, proving that the strength of the venture-backed entrepreneurial community remains undiminished.
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The winners of this competition will be officially honored at:
Venture Summit Silicon Valley 2012
Where Big Ideas Meet Big Money
December 10th - 12th, 2012
The Ritz Carlton
Half Moon Bay, CA
See our current program, reserve your ticket, or learn more about Venture Summit Silicon Valley 2012.
To find out how your company can join the Venture Summit Silicon Valley's distinguished group of sponsors and for detailed information on the CEO Showcase opportunity, please contact Shannon Calvin (shannon@aonetwork.com, 954.663.2086) or Grant Gunderson (grant@aonetwork.com, 916.217.0427) for details on how your company can participate.
For more information on group rates or to make reservations by phone, please contact the AlwaysOn Concierge, John Schwartz, at 310.721.9451 or by e-mail at john@aonetwork.com.
Now is the time to get on board. Whether you are looking for new investments, strategic partners or clients in the Global Silicon Valley, Venture Summit Silicon Valley is the insider event you won't want to miss. We hope to see you there!
The conference is only two weeks away—Register today.
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Introducing the Top Ten VC Firms of 2012:
1. Accel Partners
www.accel.com
2011-2012 Exits: Amobee (acquired by Singapore Telecommunications), Brightcove, Facebook, Groupon, Kosmix (acquired by Walmart), Mu Dynamics (acquired by Spirent), NextG Networks (acquired by Crown Castle), Trulia
Total Exit Value: $53.938 billion
2. Greylock Partners
www.greylock.com
2011-2012 Exits: Instagram (acquired by Facebook), Facebook, LinkedIn, Palo Alto Networks, Workday, Zynga
Total Exit Value: $67.217 billion
3. Andreessen Horowitz
a16z.com
2011-2012 Exits: Instagram (acquired by Facebook), Facebook, Nicira Networks (acquired by VMware, Skype (acquired by Microsoft)
Total Exit Value: $60.360 billion
4. Meritech Capital Partners
www.meritechcapital.com
2011-2012 Exits: BlueArc (acquired by Hitachi Data Systems), Facebook, NextG Networks (acquired by Crown Castle), PopCap Games (acquired by Electronic Arts)
Total Exit Value: $52.501 billion
5. Founders Fund
www.foundersfund.com
2011-2012 Exits: Facebook, Yammer (acquired by Microsoft)
Total Exit Value: $50.8 billion
6. Sequoia Capital
www.sequoiacap.com
2011-2012 Exits: Amobee (acquired by Singapore Telecommunications), Aster Data Systems (acquired by Teradata), Cafe Press, Clearwell Systems (acquired by Symantec), Cotendo (acquired by Akamai), InfoBlox, Instagram (acquired by Facebook), Jive Software, LinkedIn, LitePoint (acquired by Teradyne), LogLogic (acquired by TIBCO Software), Loopt (acquired by Green Dot), Palo Alto Networks, Provigent (acquired by Broadcom), ServiceNow
Total Exit Value: $23.793 billion
7. Benchmark Capital
www.benchmark.com
2011-2012 Exits: Ambarella, Bytemobile (acquired by Citrix Systems), Clicker (acquired by CBS), Cotendo (acquired by Akamai), Demandforce (acquired by Intuit), Digital Fuel (acquired by VMWare), Gaikai (acquired by Sony), HipLogic (acquired by Zynga), Instagram (acquired by Facebook), Mu Dynamics (acquired by Spirent), NorthStar Systems (acquired by SEI), Proofpoint, Riot Games (acquired by Tencent), Servicesource, Terracotta (acquired by Software), Tropos (acquired by ABB), Ubiquiti Networks, Yelp, Zillow, Zipcar
Total Exit Value: $8.432 billion
8. Bessemer Venture Partners
www.bvp.com
2011-2012 Exits: Endeca (acquired by Oracle), LinkedIn, Millennial Media, Ubiquiti Networks, Yelp
Total Exit Value: $15.665 billion
9. New Enterprise Associates
www.nea.com
2011-2012 Exits: Fusion-io, Groupon, Loopt (acquired by Green Dot), Millennial Media, Nicira Networks (acquired by VMware), RingCube (acquired by Citrix Systems), Workday
Total Exit Value: $7.113 billion
10. GGV Capital (tie)
www.ggvc.com
2011-2012 Exits: Buddy Media (acquired by salesforce.com), Endeca (acquired by Oracle), Vocera, Youku Todou
Total Exit Value: $4.387 billion
10. Globespan Capital Partners (tie)
www.globespancapital.com
2011-2012 Exits: Amobee (acquired by Singapore Telecommunications), Palo Alto Networks, Provigent (acquired by Broadcom)
Total Exit Value: $4.321 billion
10. Lightspeed Venture Partners (tie)
lsvp.com
2011-2012 Exits: Fusion-io, Nicira Networks (acquired by VMware), Unity (acquired by Rambus), Provigent (acquired by Broadcom), Pliant Technology (acquired by SanDisk), Kosmix (acquired by Walmart)
Total Exit Value: $4.376 billion
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