US venture returns Q4 2004 released

US venture capital performance remained consistent at the end of Q4 2004 with continued double-digit returns for the long-term horizons, according to Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association. Ten and 20 year horizon returns for venture capital for the period ending December 31, 2004 were 26% and 15.7%, respectively and for all private equity over that period returns were 12.7% and 13.8%.

Five-year performance for venture capital saw another decline, with a return of -1.3% for the period ending December 31, 2004. This decline is attributed to the realized losses taken by firms that invested in the 1999 to 2000 time period.