This morning, DJX VentureSource released its Q4 2014 venture capital report, which tracks investments into companies that have received at least one round of venture funding. Chicago’s $424.9 million VC dollars invested in Q4 2014 was up significantly from the $248.8 million raised in Q4 2013 and marks the highest fourth-quarter total since 2010. There were 22 investment rounds in Q4 2014, a decrease from 27 in Q4 2013. Investment in Chicago venture-backed companies throughout 2014 totaled $862.3 million, up 73.6% from $496.8 million in 2013.

The following charts compare Chicago’s fourth quarter 2014 performance and Chicago’s 2014 annual performance with other select metro areas, followed by major VC deals, investors, IPOs and M&As in Chicago and across the U.S. (not exhaustive).

Major VC Deals in Chicago, Q4 2014

• Avant Credit Corp., Business and Financial Services ($225.0M); one of the largest venture rounds ever for a Chicago startup
• Naurex Inc., Healthcare ($80.0M)
• Apervita Inc., Business and Financial Services ($18.0M)
• ViaForensics LLC, Business and Financial Services ($12.5M)
• Shiftgig Inc., Business and Financial Services ($10.0M)

Active Investors in Chicago, Q4 2014

• Corazon Capital LLC (2 deals)
• Math Venture Partners LLC (2)
• Jump Capital  Diversified (2)
• Baird Capital Diversified (2)
• Pritzker Group (2)

Major VC Deals in the U.S., Q4 2014

• Uber Technologies Inc., San Francisco, CA, Consumer Services ($1,200.0M)
• Magic Leap Inc., Dania Beach, FL, Information Technology ($542.0M)
• Snapchat Inc., Venice, CA, Consumer Services ($485.6M)
• WeWork Companies Inc., New York, New York, Business and Financial Services ($355.0M)
• Sunnova Energy Corp., Houston, TX, Energy and Utilities ($250.0M)
• Avant Credit Corp., Chicago, IL, Business and Financial Services ($225.0M)
• Instacart Inc., San Francisco, CA, Consumer Services ($220.0M)
• Houzz Inc., Palo Alto, CA, Consumer Services ($165.0M)

Active Investors in the U.S., Q4 2014

• New Enterprise Associates Inc. (21 deals)
• Khosla Ventures (20)
• Andreessen Horowitz (18)
• Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (17)
• Sequoia Capital (15)

Top IPOs in the U.S., Q4 2014

• LendingClub Corp., San Francisco, CA, Financial Institutions and Services ($870.0M)
• Wayfair Inc., Boston, MA, Retailers ($319.0M)
• Juno Therapeutics Inc., Seattle, WA, Healthcare ($264.6M)

Top M&As in the U.S., Q4 2014

• Facebook acquisition of WhatsApp Inc., Santa Clara, CA ($19,000.0M)
• Johnson & Johnson Inc. acquisition of Alios BioPharma Inc., South San Francisco, CA ($1,750.0M)
• Rakuten Inc. acquisition of Ebates Inc., San Francisco, CA ($981.0M)

The investment figures included in this release are based on aggregate findings of Dow Jones’ proprietary research collected through surveys of professional firms, interviews with company executives, and from secondary sources. Information reflects equity financings including cash investments into companies that have received at least one round of venture funding, and do not include companies receiving funding solely from corporate, individual, and/or government investors. Figures are subject to change. For more information, please refer to the DJX VentureSource website.

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