VentureBeat, the VC deals blog whose reports we frequently cite, has gone to the VC well itself, raising a $320,000 first round. Investors include ex-Googlers Georges Harik and Aydin Senkut, Mike Brown (Foundation Capital), MHS Capital, Amidzad and the White Sand Group. The Silicon Valley-based site, which was founded by ex-Mercury News reporter Matt Marshall, has been adding writers and claims to be growing rapidly. Prior to this, it was self-funded by Marshall. The site recently hired veteran tech reporter Dean Takahashi from the Merc.

Matt Marshall explains: “VentureBeat has grown steadily since launching more than a year ago. We’ve been hiring writers and we have record traffic. I’ve bootstrapped the company thus far, and while it’s been rewarding, there’s just so much more we’d like to do. We’ve been pretty much in the black since I launched, and I’ve hired writers as cash afforded. Now that we’ve got our feet on the ground, its time to get to the next phase.”