U.S. venture capital investment –the money invested in new enterprises－was 66% lower during the second quarter of 2001 than it was at the same time last year. This is the sixth quarter in a row that U.S. venture capital investments have fallen. The drop has created concerns because venture capital spurs entrepreneurial activity, which in turn spurs technological innovation, which, in turn, increases national productivity. But Dee Powers, co-author of the book “Inside Secrets to Venture Capital”, says the drop is not a drop at all.  Rather, she says, it is a return to normalcy after the unprecedented escalation of venture capital investment in late 1999.