A prolonged slump in venture-capital deal making deepened over the first quarter, setting the stage for a tough year ahead for startups, particularly mature private companies seeking exit opportunities such as an initial public offering or a large corporate acquirer.
The broad slowdown, which carried over from the second half of 2022, was driven by high interest rates, stock-market turbulence and the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. That left startups grappling with fewer funding deals, lower prices for their shares…
