The Venture Capital Industry consists of VC Firms, Limited Partners, and the Entrepreneurial Companies they fund. VC firms raise money from Limited Partners for specific funds. These funds are then invested in Entrepreneurial Companies.  Inside this guide:

Venture Capital is a subset of Private Equity funding, which has fewer regulatory requirements than public finance.  Private Equity processes and practices differ significantly across geographies, so be sure to note the country of origin of whatever material you are looking at.  Here are some basic summaries of venture financing in the United States and Europe.  Within Europe, Private Equity financing practices also differ across countries.

From the National Venture Capital Association -

This guide was originally created by Baruch College librarian, Jean Yaremchuk.