(Reuters) – Venture capital deals in America reached an all time high of $330 billion in 2021, thanks to excess liquidity and an accommodative monetary system, according to a PitchBook report and the National Venture Capital Association.

Venture capital firms made record deals of 17,054 in 2015, as they increased their investments in tech, fintech and healthcare sectors.

The record-breaking year in VC fundraising was marked by $128.3 Billion across 730 funds. It was $40 billion greater than 2020’s previous record.

For an interactive graphic, click on this link: https://tmsnrt.rs/3Gp0ybS

Graphic: U.S. venture capital deals activity, https://tmsnrt.rs/3r8WSUY Some of the biggest fundraises last year included crypto firm FTX Trading, which was valued at $25 billion in October, and AI platform Databricks, which notched a valuation of $38 billion in August, each raising $1 billion.

Fundraising is set to accelerate in 2018, as venture capital firms continue to have cash at record levels and return rates that exceed all other asset classes.

VC-backed firms went public or were purchased out, resulting in exits of $774.1 billion by 2021. 88% of this amount was achieved through public listing. Despite tightening regulations, the U.S. initial public offerings (IPO) market was on the rise. However, special purpose acquisitions companies offer a viable alternative.