Private equity deals rose to a record in the first nine months of 2021, already surpassing full-year numbers recorded in previous years, according to new data from PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association. Silicon Valley still gets the lion’s share of venture capital as investors seek high-return opportunities in the ongoing tech boom, the data showed. U.S. private equity (PE) investment activity totaled $787 billion across 6,004 deals in the first nine months. This was much higher than the previous record of $751 billion in investment across 5,709 deals in 2019, before the pandemic, according to a report by PitchBook, data provider for the private equity industry. “The climate is bullish across the board as PE firms take advantage of markets awash with liquidity,” the report states. Low interest rates in the country are encouraging PE firms to pursue massive deals at record levels. In addition, a potential capital gains tax hike proposed …