SJMerc: Venture capital: Silicon Valley start-ups weathering the financial storm

MyLawsuit.com is still more a concept than a company, with a Web page that promises "Coming soon.'' But inside her work space at a Palo Alto start-up incubator, Michele Colucci can tick off the ways her idea for bringing the legal marketplace into the Internet age has progressed since her summertime move from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley.
Even as America staggers into a recession, Colucci personifies how Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial culture is showing remarkable resilience, even defiance.
Venture industry data suggests that early-stage investing is slowing down, and many angel investors are said to be pulling back. But at recent valley conferences, prominent investors such as angel "godfather" Ron Conway said they are hearing many pitches and have money set aside for promising start-ups. The "deal flow," as Conway put it, remains strong.