In an otherwise softening environment for venture capital investing, New England seems to be holding its own.

New investments in start-up companies by venture capitalists declined 11 percent during the quarter ended Sept. 30, to $6.5 billion nationally. But in New England, new investments were down only slightly from the previous quarter, to $826 million, according to the quarterly MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the National Venture Capital Association, based on data provided by Thomson Reuters.