The venture market was down 38% last year as investors continued to reel back their funding with money becoming more expensive and liquidity options drying up.

In such an environment, most would think the tech sector most greatly affected by the pullback would be deep tech — casually defined as cutting-edge scientific innovation that can create brand-new industries. With its cash-intensive research and long product-to-market lead time, it usually is not attractive to investors in a down market where cash is king. READ MORE