There is no shortage of reports from places like PricewaterhouseCoopers or CB Insights that indicate a slowdown in VC funding in Silicon Valley.
Oh Look, Another Report That Shows How Pessimistic Silicon Valley Is Feeling
More data to back up the gloomy vibes.


Here’s another one, from the influential and centrally connected Silicon Valley Bank, that shows just how much confidence has cratered in the short- and medium-term future for many startups. According to SVB’s “U.S. Startup Outlook 2016,” here are some of the key data points from a survey of startup executives:
- 36 percent of respondents said that they expect their business to stay about the same or worsen, up from 23 percent in 2015 and 18 percent in 2014.
- 82 percent said that raising money is at least somewhat challenging, which is in line with responses of the last couple years.
- Venture capital is still the primary funding source for startups; 42 percent of those surveyed plan for VC to be where they get their next capital injection. The next largest response was “Angel/Micro VC funding” at 11 percent.
- 56 percent think that the best “realistic” outcome for their company will be an acquisition; 17 percent said an IPO, 19 percent said staying private and 8 percent don’t know.
One thing that’s only a little surprising is how much startup execs are worried about “access to talent” during a time when their companies’ ability to compete seems to be more closely tied to the health of the economy as a whole. But perhaps these founders shouldn’t be worried; if more unicorns end up biting the dust, the market for engineers might suddenly get a lot bigger.
You can read the full report here.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.











