The settlements resolve claims that the Alphabet Inc unit deceived people into believing they maintained control over how Google collected and used their personal data.
The Justice Department argues that Google agreements with mobile carriers and others worth $10 billion annually to win powerful default positions on smartphones and elsewhere so that it would dominate search to drive up its own profits.
Arriving at a decision was difficult in the backdrop of a year which has been fraught with challenges for the venture capital industry as valuations and fundraising saw a major hit. Exits became scarce and the IPO market dried up.
The eleven jurors, including top business leaders, startup entrepreneurs who have taken their companies public recently, marqueeinvestors and other founders, displayed a razor-sharp focus on business models built for the long term to zero in on the winners.
The high-powered jury initially shortlisted biotech startup String Bio along with Info Edge Ventures-backed Brainsight AI, which is building an advanced software system that can create a map of the human brain, tracking signals exchanged between different parts of the brain.