Science and engineering startups see growth in venture capital funding

New York Times : In 2008, investment in industrial and energy startups reached $4.64 billion. For biotechnology companies, investment reached $5.14 billion. Those were record highs in those sectors. By 2013, the level of investment had dropped dramatically. Now, however, it appears that venture capitalists are again interested in funding science and engineering startups. In the first half of 2014, industrial and engineering companies received $1.24 billion, twice as much as in the same period in 2013. In biotech, $2.93 billion was invested, a 26% increase. In comparison, investment in software companies has continued to grow. In 2013, $11.2 billion was given to software companies, 85% more than was invested in 2008. Many of the science and engineering companies that have been receiving funding focus on eco-friendly technologies or clean energy. One such company is Transatomic Power, founded in 2011 by scientists from MIT to develop small-scale molten-salt nuclear reactors . The company received $2 million in August from the Founders Fund, which had previously invested in Facebook and Spotify.