By Krystal Hu (Reuters) – Funding for U.S. startups fell by one-third from their peak in 2021, according to PitchBook data released on Friday, despite record amounts of capital raised by new and existing venture funds. Private venture-backed companies raised a total of $238.3 billion last year, 31% lower than the record of $344.7 billion in 2021, the data showed. Despite being a challenging year for emerging fund managers, 2022 saw $162.6 billion closed across 769 funds, setting an annual record for capital raised and marking venture capital’s rise as an asset class for money managers. Sitting…