Borealis Ventures and the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority recently announced the creation of the Borealis Venture Fund, an early stage venture capital fund that will support the states's high-tech startups. Borealis Ventures will manage the fund, which is being backed by $4.5 million through the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative. The firm plans to raise an additional $25.5 million from private investors.

In the first half of 2012, venture capitalists invested $13.1 billion in 1,707 deals, according to data from the quarterly survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). This represents a marked decline from the first half of last year, when investors completed 1,942 deals with $14.7 billion. Though activity picked up in the second quarter (Q2) in 2012, both deals and dollars remained lower than the same quarter last year.

On September 17, 2012, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented seven provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA) including:

Voters in 37 states will decide on more than 170 ballot measures this year, many of which are related to tech-based economic development (TBED). Tax measures seem to be dominating ballots this year, with questions relating to both decreases and increases for sales, property and income taxes. Several states are counting on voters to agree to temporary increases to help fill budget deficits and ensure steady funding for education.

Maine's 2010 legislative session wrapped up last week, ending on a relatively high note for tech-based economic development (TBED). Actions supporting TBED include a measure signed by Gov. John Baldacci to encourage venture capital investment in innovative companies and the legislature's approval of a bond package that includes $11 million for ocean wind energy demonstration sites through the University of Maine System.

Venture capital (VC) funds that invest in rural and low-income regions can be as successful as those in tech-oriented metropolitan regions if they are large enough to attract high-quality deals and provide follow-on funding, according to a recent report published through the Ford Foundation's Wealth Creation in Rural Communities project.

After a difficult 2008, venture capital returns improved slightly at the end of last year. Returns reached 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 and 3 percent for the year, after falling 16.5 percent during 2008. Though the three-, five- and ten-year figures remain discouraging, the National Venture Capital Association reports that returns have continued to improve in 2010. Read the NVCA release ...

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley recently announced a new effort to direct $100 million to public and private venture capital investors. The InvestMaryland program would offer insurance companies tax credits to generate the funds, which would either be invested directly in startup companies or in private venture firms. Governor O'Malley's current proposal would provide $50 million to the Maryland Venture Fund and the other $50 million to venture capital firms.

U.S. venture capital fundraising and venture-backed exits improved marginally in the fourth quarter of 2009, despite having a very slow year overall, according to the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). Venture fundraising increased to $3.8 billion in the last quarter, an 82.6 percent increase over the previous quarter but still far short of fundraising levels in recent years. While investors expect activity to grow in 2010, most predict that the industry will remain smaller than its scale in the 1990s and 2000s, with fewer firms and increasing focus on late-stage deals.

Last year, U.S. venture capital investment dropped to its lowest level in over a decade, according to data from the PricewaterhouseCoopers Moneytree Survey and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). This drop was fueled by the national economic crisis, which created a number of issues within the industry.

Finance reform legislation, bound for the Senate floor in April, could have significant repercussions for investors and entrepreneurs. The bill, introduced by Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), would create a new consumer protection watchdog within the Federal Reserve, install new regulations and safety valves to prevent another financial meltdown, and provide greater transparency within the financial industry. Two short provisions, however, have caught the attention of the private equity community and could change the rules for investors.

As many states near the mid-point of their 2012 legislative sessions, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at some of the bills advancing in statehouses that could impact states' efforts to improve economic conditions. Several states are seeking to advance access to capital initiatives as they continue to struggle with declining revenue and tight credit restrictions. The following overview provides a sampling of TBED bills supporting access to capital, R&D enhancements and higher education standards.

Providing Access to Capital

MaRS Discovery District, Toronto's innovation and entrepreneurship center, has launched a $30 million early stage clean tech fund, the first of its kind in Canada. This week, the group announced that it had raised its fundraising goal entirely from private sources, and that released information about its first two investments. The MaRS Cleantech Fund LP portfolio companies will be encouraged to seek maximum support from MaRS. Read the announcement... Interested in how U.S. states and regions are catalyzing clean tech innovation?

While touting broad support from lawmakers for his 2012 legislative agenda during the regular session, Gov. Bob McDonnell also expressed concern about several economic development and education initiatives left out of the 2012-14 biennial budget passed by lawmakers during a special session that ended last month. Just in time for the deadline, Gov. McDonnell submitted $43.9 million in budget amendments, which include restoring funds for research, life sciences and teacher recruitment.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is now accepting the first stage of the licensing process for the new five-year $1 billion Early Stage Small Business Companies (Early Stage SBICs) initiative. In 2012, the SBA may commit up to $150 million to support eligible investments funds focused on early/seed stage investments.

A program envisioned nine years ago as a $1 billion endowment that would transform Oklahoma into the research capital of the Great Plains was eliminated last week by the legislature. The Economic Development Generating Excellence Fund, or EDGE Fund, which provided grants to high-tech companies, was unable to secure a long-term financial commitment from the state following an initial appropriation of $150 million in 2006. The balance of the fund, about $161 million, will be transferred to Oklahoma universities for the endowed chairs program to fund academic positions and research.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced last week five new programs under the Pure Michigan Business Connect initiative established last year to provide small businesses in emerging industry sectors with economic development incentives, startup capital and support services (see the June 8, 2011 issue of the Digest).

The new programs focus mostly on providing access to capital and making connections. They include:

Over the last month, Gov. Scott Walker has slowly rolled out a series of ambitious proposals ranging from $25 million for venture capital investment to $100 million for worker training and nearly $500 million in new state funds for public education. Together, these and other broad-ranging initiatives make up the $68 billion 2013-15 biennial budget unveiled in its entirety yesterday.

Investing money from the state's pension fund, Colorado will partner with local CEOs and technology companies to create a $150 million VC fund to help get local tech startups off the ground, according to multiple news sources. The fund, expected to launch by summer, would be run by a consortium of business leaders who would contribute around $10 million each, while the state would be the largest LP, contributing money from pension funds, according to an article in TechCrunch. Colorado's fund would focus purely on tech and span all stages of funding, the article states.

In the January 2011 edition of the Harvard Business Review, Michael Porter and Mark Kramer called for a redesign of the existing business model and their role within society. Instead of simply embracing corporate responsibility and corporate giving, businesses should work to create shared value within their community by helping to support local clusters and institutions to address societal needs and issues.

Measuring impact is critical to the success and sustainability of any economic development initiative, and as the national debate over fiscal austerity and taxpayer spending continues, TBED organizations can expect increased scrutiny and accountability for their investments.

Last week, the SSTI Weekly Digest offered an overview of the many TBED-focused tax incentives currently under consideration in a number of state legislatures. Tax credits for research and development and for angel capital investment, in particular, appear to be under consideration in many parts of the country. At the same time, there appears to be a renewed emphasis on transparency in the operation and effectiveness of these kinds of tax credits.

Both venture capital dollars invested and total deals declined in the first quarter of the year, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers/National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) Moneytree survey. The capital-intensive life science and clean technology sectors were particularly hard hit, along with seed and early stage investments. Within the data, however, a number of bright spots remained for entrepreneurs seeking capital. Seed and early stage investments continue to comprise more than 50 percent of all deals and first-time fundings remain within a healthy range.

The Department of Energy's guaranteed loan program has made headlines as automotive company Tesla paid back over $450 million in federal loans nine years ahead of schedule. Tesla's move highlights the potential of federal loan programs to support the growth of renewable energy industries by investing in companies that are developing new technologies such as lithium batteries and electric cars.

Since 2011, three states (Kansas, Georgia and North Carolina) have enacted securities exemptions that allow their state's entrepreneurs and small businesses to raise up to $1 million dollars via the sale of securities to residents of the state — Washington lawmakers introduced similar legis