Trend 1: More abundant capital resources than ever before

Far more venture capital is available now than ever before. According to Silicon Valley investment-research firm VentureOne, more than $36.5 billion of venture capital was invested in 1999 -- exceeding the combined amount invested the three previous years. VC money raised by startups just one year earlier. And entrepreneurs, including women entrepreneurs, are reaping the benefits. Capital resources for technology entrepreneurs have never been more plentiful -- and it's a good thing since technology and most Internet businesses require large upfront investments to succeed. The cost of developing a new technology product, creating a major website, or building a new brand faster than the competition can be extremely high. But investments made in Net companies have been yielding staggeringly high returns in certain cases as they go public.

Successful investments in the Internet space and other sectors have ballooned venture capital funds and the portfolios of angel investors. Much of this newly created wealth is being folded back into funding new Internet startups. In 1999, Internet companies received $25 billion in venture capital -- more than two-thirds of all the venture capital invested that year and more than four times as much as in 1998. And, in the first half of 2000, 85 percent of the $35.4 billion in venture capital invested went to Internet companies. Women's increasing access to capital is due partly to the abundant supply of venture capital and angel funding. Because venture capital is pouring into Internet companies at record rates, women's success at landing funding for their web ventures is on the rise.

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