2006 Data: Top VC Deals

Official 2006 venture capital data will be coming later this month, but I’m impatient by nature (just ask US Air, whichforced me to wait four extra days before flying to Costa Rica, becausea self-important gate attendant whothought I had tampered with my passport).

Anyway, I’ve tabulated the 15 companies that raised the most venture capital last year. It should be noted that some purists might reject at least five of the deals: Both Cortina Systems and Demand Media will use most of their VC booty for acquisitions instead of more organic growth. Also, there are threetransactions — Cilion, Biofuel Energy and Plastic Logic — that could be considered more project finance than venture capital. But that is why these are the unofficial numbers…

The largest VC recipient last year was Seattle-based WiMax company Clearwire, which scored more than $1 billion in equity funding from firms like Intel Capital and Motorola Ventures. The rest of the Top10 includes Demand Media, Cilion, Amp’d Mobile, Cortina, Limelight Networks, Currrent Communications Group, Biofuel, Bloom Energy and ITA Software.

The entire chart — including investor informationand company descriptions — can be read here:2006 Top 15.xls