venture investments last month came in later-stage deals, as 13 of the 25 deals were Series C or later (two others were unspecified).
—The monthly seesaw between the healthcare and Internet sectors for the lead in the numbers of deals done continued. Internet firms, with 9 deals, came out on top this month, while healthcare was in the Avis (No. 2) position with 6 deals.
—On a dollar basis, as mentioned, healthcare led the pack, with $98.8 million total, compared to $62.2 million for Internet firms (the healthcare figure was about $10 million higher than in August, but the value of the Internet deals rose nearly threefold, from $23.65 million).
—Maybe the biggest surprise of the month was the computer hardware and services category, where four firms brought in a total of $33 million, making the sector the third biggest investment-attractor of the month. There was not a single deal in the sector in June, July, or August.
—All told, 35 different firms were identified as investing in Massachusetts startups during the month. Only one, Sigma Partners, is listed on two deals.
September 2009 MA Venture Investments
September 2009 MA debt financings
Author: Robert Buderi
Bob is Xconomy's founder and chairman. He is one of the country's foremost journalists covering business and technology. As a noted author and magazine editor, he is a sought-after commentator on innovation and global competitiveness. Before taking his most recent position as a research fellow in MIT's Center for International Studies, Bob served as Editor in Chief of MIT's Technology Review, then a 10-times-a-year publication with a circulation of 315,000. Bob led the magazine to numerous editorial and design awards and oversaw its expansion into three foreign editions, electronic newsletters, and highly successful conferences. As BusinessWeek's technology editor, he shared in the 1992 National Magazine Award for The Quality Imperative.
Bob is the author of four books about technology and innovation. Naval Innovation for the 21st Century (2013) is a post-Cold War account of the Office of Naval Research. Guanxi (2006) focuses on Microsoft's Beijing research lab as a metaphor for global competitiveness. Engines of Tomorrow (2000) describes the evolution of corporate research. The Invention That Changed the World (1996) covered a secret lab at MIT during WWII. Bob served on the Council on Competitiveness-sponsored National Innovation Initiative and is an advisor to the Draper Prize Nominating Committee. He has been a regular guest of CNBC's Strategy Session and has spoken about innovation at many venues, including the Business Council, Amazon, eBay, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.
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