Like many journalists, I pay more attention to fundraising by startups than I should, but it’s hard not to sit up and take notice when we had a week like last week.

Four Atlantic Canadian startups announced that they raised a total of $10 million, the lion’s share coming from an $8 million investment in AioTV by a Chinese tech company. That’s a lot of money for one week.  And then this week the investment rose again when LeadSift said it raised $635,000 from OMERS Ventures and several angels.

Consider the funding of companies in the region two years ago. Data from Thomson Reuters show that venture capital investment in that year – the whole year – amounted to $21.4 million. I realize money raised last week didn’t all come from VCs, but Atlantic Canadian companies drew half that amount last week alone.

The reason I’m ambivalent is that we journalists tend to view investment as an end in itself, as if a company that attracts a million buck has it made. I often have to remind myself that a sign of true health in a young company is that it doesn’t need investment because it’s generating all the money it needs through sales.

What investment does reflect is confidence by knowledgeable players in a company’s prospects, and a big number generally reflects a lot of confidence.

So Beijing-based UTStarcom Holdings Corp., a publicly listed maker of broadband equipment and solutions for cable and telecom operators, obviously has faith in aioTV, having bought 44% of the company for $8 million.

Here are some other signs of investors showing faith with their chequebooks:

• Fredericton-based UserEvents, whose technology alerts corporations when customers are having trouble with online transactions, attracted $250,000 from the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation. Don’t be fooled by the modest amount. Given the management and prospects of this company, I have no doubt CEO Jeff Thompson could have raised more if he’d wanted to.
• Karma Gaming of Halifax, which is developing video games for regulated lotteries, landed just under $500,000 from Atlantic Canadian angels, complemented by a $250,000 loan from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Most of the angels are actually real estate executives.
• And Halifax consumer health products maker Origin BioMed said it is receiving a $1 million investment, including $350,000 from Nova Scotia Business Inc. The company had suffered a cash crisis earlier in the year and plans to use the investment to continue its recovery.

These will not be the last fundings announced this year – I guarantee it. What we are seeing is a flow of money from various sources – including sources we haven’t seen before in these parts – into very good companies.

Certainly the Chinese investment in aioTV is captivating, but so is the Karma deal. When’s the last time a group of real estate execs from across the region teamed up to invest in a tech company?

 “We are benefiting from a considerable uptick in entrepreneurial activity in New Brunswick and the region generally,” said Calvin Milbury, President and CEO of NBIF. “For example, NBIF is coming off a record year having completed 12 deals last year, and we are well on our way to equally or eclipsing that mark this year. “

Again, it’s another sign that Atlantic Canadian companies are heading in the right direction. The exits of Radian6 and Q1 Labs in New Brunswick last year showed the potential of companies in the region, and investors are taking notice and reacting accordingly.

“The community is ripe with innovative ideas, and entrepreneurs are increasingly encouraged to take on the risk associated with start-ups, thanks in part to the growing ecosystem that supports them and in part thanks to success stories like Radian6 and Q1 Labs,” said Milbury. “This in turn has put Atlantic Canadian start-ups on the radar of venture capitalists and our region is now reaping the benefits of that.”