This paper investigates the initial and long-run returns of venture capital-backed IPOs. Two key findings emerge. First, venture capitalists (VC) in Taiwan do not play a certification role in reducing the underpricing of start up companies. Second, VC-backed IPOs do not perform better than their non-VC-backed counterparts in the long run. Our empirical findings show that venture capitalists have cut back on their support for start up companies over the past several years because of the deterioration in the investment climate. The retreat of venture capital financing would adversely affect the development of state-of-the-art technologies.