Investor purse strings loosened to fund North Carolina companies to the tune of $266 million in the first half of 2014, up more than 31 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a new report. But perhaps more surprising than the dollars are the investment trends suggested by the report. Angel investment seems to have stepped up in North Carolina to fill an investment gap left by venture capitalists. And for the first time in recent memory, total technology investments have eclipsed life science investments—by a wide margin.