Startups

Venture capitalists and startup company executives who attended the latest Silicon Valley Bank SVB Showcase event were generally upbeat about prospects for  technology, life science and cleantech innovation and investment. The quarterly invitation-only pitch event brought together dozens of people from early and growth stage companies seeking to raise their next round of funding, and from venture capitalist firms.

If you turn on almost any news channel, you’ll hear a consistent theme coming from Washington policymakers — jobs, jobs, and more jobs. People in D.C. recognize how vital job creation is to our future. And by and large they understand that small, growing companies are the engine for job creation.

Coming off of one of the most difficult years in memory for small businesses, conditions for startup technology companies are showing signs of modest improvement.