Summary List PlacementThe venture industry warned of a "black swan" at the start of the pandemic last year. Instead, they got a golden goose. The stock market rallied, and privately owned tech companies joined a parade of initial public offerings with strong debuts. Their exits gave firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital some of their best returns ever. Many paid it forward to their employees. A large survey of venture capital firms showed many of them awarded bonuses to entry-level investment professionals through the pandemic, with associates and analysts raking in bonuses ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 last year.