“In an ominous sign for this Internet boomtown, the authors of a new study project that about 80% of the remaining dot-com companies in the Bay area will collapse in the next year, wiping out some 30,000 jobs.”

“Heavyweights, such as Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble, are seeking to fund young companies in exchange for stock or exclusive rights to future products. The profile of so-called corporate venture capitalists has risen as traditional VCs, burned by excessive Internet investments, make fewer bets on start-ups and as more companies join such tech giants as Intel and Microsoft in funding start-ups.”