US venture capital investment hardly moved last year but was already trending upwards as investments in the fourth quarter increased, The Wall Street Journal blog Venture Capital Dispatch reported.

Research from Mercom Capital Group showed that venture capital funding for companies in the smart grid technology sector was pegged at $405 million in 2013, a dip from the $434 million in 2012.

While venture capital funding for healthcare influenced by information technology or HIT is more pronounced in the US, venture capitalists are also showing interest in the niche in India, The Hindu Business Line reported.

With a recovery in the IPO market propelling private equity backers to exit their investments, lenders are readying to list more UK retailers on the London bourse, the Financial Times reported.

New York-based research gathered data on startup death and found out that half of early-stage firms die before raising $1 million and that most startups last 20 months after their last funding round.

Jeff Jordan, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, says the structural shift from physical to digital retail is happening more quickly than what he had previously imagined.

Michael Abrash, virtual reality researcher at Washington-based gaming firm Valve, said he expects amazing and consumer-friendly virtual reality products to be on launched on the market within two years.

An increasing number of hedge funds like Coatue Management are looking for opportunities to invest in the private markets, pouring money in technology startups, TechCrunch reported.

Malaysia will implement a new policy that will selectively allow foreign auto makers to manufacture small passenger cars, according to the chief executive officer of a trade ministry unit.

A report on Pensions & Investments said 2014 is set to be a very busy year for hedge fund launches because of factors like having experienced teams gearing to form their own companies and having available seed money, among others.