18,795 Investors 
Given persistent levels of misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions below to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and commentary. We maintain a rigorous process to enter and validate the data which forms this report and ask that if you have any questions about our methodological principles or definitions, do not hesitate to contact us at any time. In the very near future, we will be providing access to our underlying deal and funding data. If you’d like to be notified when this feature launches, please email us at insights(at)chubbybrain(dot)com
What is Included in our Venture Capital Data?
The following are our principles around what is included in our VC numbers.
- Equity financings into emerging companies. Funding must come from venture capital firms including corporate venture groups.
- Fundings of only private companies. Public companies of any kind on any exchange (even Pink Sheets) are not included in our numbers even if they received investment by a venture firm(s)
- Companies must be headquartered in the USA. Our geographic data is based on the city and state where the company receiving investment is headquartered. If a company has a satellite office/presence in multiple cities or was founded in a particular city but has moved its HQ, our results reflect only this address.
- Only include the investment made in the quarter for tranched investments. If a company does a second closing of its Series B round for $5M and previously had closed $2M in a prior quarter, only the $5M is reflected in our results.
- Round #s reflect what has closed - not what is intended. If a company or regulatory filing indicates the closing of $5M out of a desired raise of $15M, our numbers reflect only the amount which has closed.
- Only verifiable fundings are included. Fundings are verified via (1) various federal & state regulatory filings (2) direct confirmation with firm or investor or (3) press release.
- Funding close date matters. Fundings are provided based on funding close date and not on announcement date.
What is Excluded from our Venture Capital Data?
Many of the following are tracked by ChubbyBrain but are not included in our venture capital activity report.
- Angel investment. While we track Angel Investment by Angel investment syndicates and individuals, these are not included in numbers unless an investment round included Angels investing alongside a venture capital firm or corporate venture group.
- No contingent funding. If a company receives a commitment for $20M subject to hitting certain milestones but first gets $8M, only the $8M is included in our data.
- No business development/R&D arrangements whether transferable into equity now, later or never. If a company signs a $300M research & development partnership with a larger corporation, those funds may be used to grow the company but it is simply not equity financing nor is it from venture capital firms. As a result, it is not included.
- Buyouts, Consolidations and Recapitalizations. All three of these of transaction types are commonly employed by private equity firms and are tracked by ChubbyBrain. However, they are excluded for the purposes of this report. That said, later stage capital provided to high growth companies by private equity firms is included, conditioned on the premise that the transaction does not result in the PE firm taking a majority ownership stake in the company receiving capital.
- Private placements. These investments also known as PIPEs (Private Investment in Public Equities) even if made by a venture capital firm(s) are not included. Strictly private companies.
- Debt/loans of any kind. Venture debt or any kind of debt/loan issued to emerging, startup companies even if included as an additional part of an equity financing is not included. If a company receives $3M with $2M from venture investors and $1M in debt from a venture debt provider, only the $2M is included in these statistics.
- Government funding. Grants, loans, equity financings by the federal government, state agencies or public-private partnerships to emerging, startup companies are not included. Strictly venture or corporate venture outfits.
- Incubator investments. Investments of money as equity or debt and/or services by incubators are not included in this report although captured on ChubbyBrain.
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] misinformation and/or confusion about venture capital data (learn more here), we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q3 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]
October 13th, 2009 at
[...] Methodology & Definitions - It’s Important to Report Venture Capital Statistics Accuratel… VC Internet Fundings Dip Slightly in Q3 2009 to $1.05B. Early Stage Fundings Represent Over 1/3 of [...]
October 19th, 2009 at
[...] is simply not that dissimilar to Dow Jones’s. You can take a look at our detailed definitions here. As for VentureSource, here is what they include: “These statistics represent equity [...]
October 20th, 2009 at
[...] differences, with the former more dramatically driving the delta than the latter. Specifically, our definitions for what to include/exclude in regards to the our venture funding report closely matched those of [...]
January 12th, 2010 at
[...] levels of misinformation and confusion about venture capital data, we encourage you to review our methodology and definitions to better understand the numbers presented in our Q4 2009 venture capital activity data and [...]