Dayton Business Journal...
Ohio venture capital deals climbing
By Steve Watkins
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 

Venture capital deals in Ohio are on the rise, according to a new report from David Willbrand of Cincinnati law firm Thompson Hine. 

Venture capital firms invested $240 million in Ohio over the past year through the end of June, said Willbrand, who chairs Thompson Hine’s early stage and emerging company practice. That investment went to 67 companies. 

Figures from the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers  and the National Venture Capital Association show the dollars invested by venture capital firms in Ohio jumped 30 percent from calendar 2010. Venture capital companies invested $185 million in 58 Ohio deals last year. 

Ohio ranked ninth nationally in number of deals over the past 12 months. But it’s 15th in dollars invested by venture capital firms. So more but smaller deals are getting done in Ohio compared with the rest of the nation, Willbrand said. 

Kentucky’s figures were mixed. It received $20 million in investments for 12 deals over the pas year, Willbrand said. In 2010, it got just $17 million. But that was spread over 14 companies. 

Indiana’s deals increased from 17 in 2010 to 21 over the past year while dollars invested more than doubled, from $80 million to $180 million. The big surge was due to first-quarter venture capital investments of $100 million in the Hoosier state, compared with just $9 million in the prior year’s quarter. 

California led the way, with venture capital firms investing $12 billion in more than 1,300 companies over the past 12 months. 

http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2011/08/23/ohio-venture-capital-deals-climbing.html?ed=2011-08-24&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub