Despite reports of sinking venture capital investments in various regions of the country, VC over all is booming, as firms raised $22.16 billion in 2005, a 19% increase over 2004, VentureOne reports. While fewer funds closed their money-raising last year, the ones that did raised 11% more. What's more the funds are getting bigger. For the first time since 1992, less than half of the funds (43%) closed with under $100 million, while those in the $250 million to $500 million range climbed to 28%, up from 20% in 2004, and 8% raised between $500 million and $1 billion, the biggest percentage since the Internet boom years. Last year's median fund of $201 million, says VentureOne, is the highest in a decade. The tech sector can claim at least some credit for the surge. "The fact that investors are raising such large fund comes in conjunction with the increasing globalization of the technology market and the need to provide entrepreneurial companies with larger rounds of financing so they can scale up quicker than the competition," said Steve Harmston, VentureOne's director of global research. The biggest fund to close in the fourth quarter was Technology Crossover Ventures VI at $1.4 billion.