<p>PwC / CB Insights
MoneyTree Report
Q4 2017
PwC | CB Insights MoneyTree Report Q4 2017
2
Executive summary
Strong year in funding, driven by $100M+ mega-rounds
record for this millennium, but deals down
Annual funding tops $70B for second time: US VC-backed
companies saw $71.9B invested in 2017 across 5,052 deals. Funding
was up 17% from 2016, but deals fell 4%, declining to the lowest
annual total since 2012.
109 mega-rounds of $100M or more in 2017: Driving the
strong funding total was a record number of 109 mega-rounds,
edging out the count of 107 in 2015. Mega-rounds accounted for 36%
of 2017 US funding, just shy of the 37% high in 2015.
Seed deal share dips to 8-quarter low: Corresponding with the
broader deal slowdown, US seed deal share slid to an 8-quarter low
of just 22% in Q4'17. Seed share crested 30% every quarter in 2016,
but did not reach that mark in any quarter after Q1'17.
Four new unicorns 'birthed' in Q4'17: Four VC-backed
companies achieved a valuation of $1B or more in the US in Q4'17.
Through full-year 2017, 22 new unicorns were created in the US, up
modestly from 2016 but significantly below the peak of 41 in 2015.
Funding to AI tops $1B every quarter in 2017: Compared to
2016, total annual funding increased 28% in 2017 with $5B across
444 deals.
Global funding total surges to post-2000 record, propelled
by Asia
Global funding hits $164B: Total annual global funding increased
nearly 50% in 2017, as over $164B was invested across 11,042 deals.
Deal activity was up by 11%, with both deal and dollar figures
representing annual highs.
Asian and European financing activity see full-year
increases: Total annual Asian funding activity increased by 117%,
with $70.8B invested across 2,847 deals in 2017, up from $32.7B and
1,950 deals in 2016. Total annual European funding activity stood at
$17.6B across 2,483 deals, respectively up 40% and 16% from 2016.
San Francisco funding jumps even as deal activity declines:
Total quarterly funding to San Francisco-based companies i