Hardware/Software Wrap: Disbursements Plunge in Down Market –

Despite the dramatic drop in the public markets and the slamming shut of the initial public offering window, many venture capitalists insist now is as good a time as any to be investing in developing companies. The turbulent market conditions have made company valuations more reasonable and imposed a return to VC investing fundamentals, including a renewed emphasis on due diligence and a slower investment pace, VCs say.

While it remains to be seen if this is a true reflection of the current state of the venture market or, rather, some kind of market wide effort at self-deception, it is true that the pace of venture investing in the computer hardware/software sector has slowed precipitously through the first quarter of this year.

According to preliminary data from our