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Kelly: Vast majority of US VC capital goes to a couple dozen firms

Scott Kelly · Start With the End in Mind Before You Take a Single Dollar · Sep 16, 2025 · at 21:54

Startup advisor Scott Kelly describes the concentration of venture capital in the United States.

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“There's 3200 VCs in the U S and You know, the vast majority of the capital goes into a couple of dozen of them, you know, in a handful of markets.”

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