Six venture-backed IPOs raised just $574.5 million in the first quarter of 2016, according to the Exit Poll Report by analysts at Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. This marks the slowest quarter for these types of IPOs since the third quarter of 2011. In all, 79 venture-backed M&A deals were reported in the first quarter, 20 of which reported an aggregate deal value of $4.8 billion, according to the study. "Due to a sustained period of turbulence in the public markets at the start of the year combined with non-traditional investors making direct investments into later-stage startups, venture-backed IPO activity in the first quarter was nearly non-existent," said Bobby Franklin, president and CEO of NVCA. This also comes a week after new figures revealed that the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index was down 23% in the first quarter. Release