China Venture Funding Hits Record $131 Billion Despite Crackdown
- Semiconductor, robotics and biotech among new favorites
- China chip deals draw six times more funds than U.S.
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When China’s government launched a sweeping crackdown on the technology industry over the summer, panicky venture capital investors stopped writing checks and startup valuations began to plummet. It looked like the country’s historic innovation boom was over.
Then a strange thing happened: In just a matter of weeks, the startup machine kicked back into gear. In fact, venture capital investments in China reached $130.6 billion for 2021, according to the research firm Preqin. That set a new record for the country -- about 50% higher than the $86.7 billion total the year before.