The second quarter of 2010 saw 15 initial public offerings by companies backed by venture capital firms. Collectively, the IPOs raised nearly $900 million -- a nice jump from the three IPOs and $232 million raised in last year's Q2 and the highest level since 2007. "Venture-backed IPOs hitting double-digits for the first time since 2007 is promising, but a spate of recent withdrawals by IPO candidates signals some instability in the market," said Jessica Canning, global research director for Dow Jones VentureSource. "Three companies withdrew their IPO registration in the second quarter, most citing unfavorable market conditions, leaving 41 companies in the pipeline." Merger and acquisition activity was down in the quarter, though it's risen 12 percent in the first six months of the year compared to the start of 2009. Get the rest of the stats at this link.