Venture capital deals in the United States hit an all-time high of $330 billion in 2021

Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted by a banker counting change at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File Photo

Jan 14 (Reuters) – U.S. venture capital deals hit a record high in 2021 at nearly $330 billion, buoyed by excess liquidity and accommodative monetary policy, according to a report by PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association.

Venture capital firms stepped up betting on the technology, biotech, healthcare and fintech sectors, announcing a record 17,054 deals during the year.

It was also the best year on record for venture capital fundraising, which reached $128.3 billion from 730 funds. The figure, which broke the $100 billion mark for the first time, was $40 billion higher than the previous 2020 record.

For an interactive graphic, click on this link: https://tmsnrt.rs/3Gp0ybS

Among the biggest fundraisers last year were crypto firm FTX Trading, which was valued at $25 billion in October, and artificial intelligence platform Databricks, which hit a valuation of $38. billion in August, each raising $1 billion.

The frenetic pace of fundraising is expected to continue this year as venture capitalists’ liquidity remains at an all-time high and returns outpace all other asset classes, the report adds.

Venture capital-backed companies going public or acquired led to outflows worth $774.1 billion in 2021, nearly 88% of which were through public listings. As the U.S. initial public offering (IPO) market continued on a tear, special purpose acquisition companies offered a viable alternative to IPOs despite tightening regulatory scrutiny.

Reporting by Niket Nishant and Sohini Podder in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi

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