Last week, I surveyed the startup scene in the Mid-Atlantic region, writing a story that showed how brutal it's been in the past year for entrepreneurs.

More recently, I got a heads up from the National Association of Seed Venture Funds that they conducted a survey at their annual conference in mid-September in Oklahoma City. There were signs of optimism.

* 54 percent of attendees indicated the companies they support are hiring again
* 73 percent felt the economy was improving
* 73 percent don't believe proposed health care legislation will slow entrepreneurs from starting businesses
* 87 percent believed more tax incentives to invest in early-stage companies will spur growth.

The three industries expected to attract the most growth: biotechnology, clean technology and health care. The industries that will have a tough time raising capital? Electronics, financial services, and manufacturing.