Softbank Group executives are considering a smaller venture capital fund before raising money for Softbank Vision Fund 2.

Venture capital firms invested $136.5 billion in U.S. companies last year, down from $140.2 billion in 2018, a quarterly report shows.

Venture capital deal activity continued to slow in the third quarter, while global buyout deal activity rebounded slightly, Preqin says.

Venture capital firms invested $28.2 billion in 2,265 transactions in the third quarter, continuing the 2019 trend of declining deal flow.

Venture capital funds are exiting unicorns, which is good news for funds that invested early and fundraising of any unicorn-touched fund.

Fundraising momentum and a regulatory push from the European Commission are fueling the venture capital ecosystem in Europe.

After setting a record high in 2018 of $132.1 billion, investment in U.S. venture capital remained strong in the first quarter of 2019.

The median equity size for U.S. venture capital deals was a record $6.9 million at the end of the fourth quarter.