Accepted Answer
Jan 04, 2025
The number of operating VC firms that are either raising funds or deploying capital is an unknown number. The amount deployed is also unknown.
Research providers make best guess estimates based on panels, so these research numbers are at best a "guesstimate." Pitchbook numbers are notoriously inaccurate, whereas numbers from Stanford are much better.
Estimates on the number of operating VC firms worldwide range from 4,000 to 7,000, and the US represents just under half of the global venture market. Based on these assumptions, an estimate would be roughly 2,500 operating VC firms in the US.
The amount deployed becomes much trickier to determine because there are a number of large PE style firms calling themselves VC, such as Tiger Global or Softbank, and their investments get counted in the totals by research firms.
If you want good number on venture capital, then you will need to do some analysis. The numbers from third party research firms will often be worse than your own work.
Research providers make best guess estimates based on panels, so these research numbers are at best a "guesstimate." Pitchbook numbers are notoriously inaccurate, whereas numbers from Stanford are much better.
Estimates on the number of operating VC firms worldwide range from 4,000 to 7,000, and the US represents just under half of the global venture market. Based on these assumptions, an estimate would be roughly 2,500 operating VC firms in the US.
The amount deployed becomes much trickier to determine because there are a number of large PE style firms calling themselves VC, such as Tiger Global or Softbank, and their investments get counted in the totals by research firms.
If you want good number on venture capital, then you will need to do some analysis. The numbers from third party research firms will often be worse than your own work.