Current News on Startups and Venture Investments as of December 3, 2025: Record AI Rounds, Global Fund Activity, M&A Deals, and Technology Market Trends. Analysis for Investors and Venture Funds.
By the end of 2025, the startup and venture capital market is demonstrating robust growth. As of the third quarter, global venture investments exceed $100–120 billion, reflecting a substantial year-on-year increase. Major funds and corporations are returning to large-scale funding of innovations, particularly in artificial intelligence and deep tech. New large unicorns are emerging, and promising tech companies are entering stock markets. At the same time, investors are diversifying their portfolios: alongside IT and AI, there is a notable uptick in funding for fintech, biotech, climate tech, and defence startups. Below are the key themes and examples of recent funding rounds.
- The Return of Major Investors and Mega Funds
- Record Investments in AI and the Emergence of New Unicorns
- Revival of the IPO Market and Startup Listings
- Diversification Across Sectors: Fintech, Biotech, Climate, and Defence
- Consolidation and M&A Deals
- Geographic Trends in Investments: Asia, the Middle East, and Africa
- Interest in Crypto and Blockchain Startups
- Local Context: Russia and the CIS
The Return of Major Investors and Mega Funds
The largest venture capital and corporate investors are once again actively entering the market. SoftBank is establishing Vision Fund III with approximately $40 billion earmarked for investments in AI and robotics, while Andreessen Horowitz closes a record fund of around $10 billion (focusing on AI infrastructure and fast-growing companies). Sequoia Capital is preparing new seed and Series A funds totalling nearly $1 billion. Sovereign funds from the Gulf (Mubadala, PIF) plan to allocate multi-billion dollar investments into promising technologies. Major tech corporations (Google, NVIDIA, Samsung, Microsoft, etc.) are expanding their venture divisions, attracting startups in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors.
- SoftBank – Vision Fund III (~$40 billion for AI and robotics)
- Andreessen Horowitz – new $10 billion fund (AI infrastructure and scalable growth)
- Sequoia Capital – ~ $750 million for Series A + $200 million for seed funds
- Sovereign Funds (Mubadala, PIF, etc.) – multi-billion investment programmes
- Corporate VCs (Google, Microsoft, Samsung, etc.) – increased venture activity
Record Investments in Artificial Intelligence and New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector continues to set the tone for venture investments. According to estimates by PitchBook/FT, around two-thirds of all VC investments in 2025 are directed towards AI projects – approximately $160–200 billion. Generative AI and machine learning platforms regularly attract unprecedented funding rounds. For example, AI platform developers have recently secured the following amounts:
- Anysphere (Cursor platform) – $2.3 billion (Series D), valuation exceeding $29 billion
- Lila Sciences (AI for scientific research) – $350 million (Series A)
- Sesame (voice AI) – $250 million (Series B)
- Hippocratic AI (AI for medicine) – $126 million (Series C)
Also among the largest deals are American companies Anthropic ($13 billion) and xAI ($10 billion) in Q3, while in Europe, French Mistral and British Nscale each raised $1.5 billion, indicating a global race for AI unicorns. As the scale of funding rounds increases, the number of unicorn startups (valued at $1 billion+) continues to grow steadily. Venture analysts note that the market for AI platforms and tools will maintain its dominance even after the release of GPT-4, attracting a significant portion of investor capital.
Revival of the IPO Market and Prospects for Listings
After a period of stagnation, a wave of IPOs and significant exits for tech startups is re-emerging. Funds expect that by 2026, several global unicorns (for instance, in fintech and biotech) will go public in the US, Europe, or Asia. In 2025, fintech and biotech startups made successful listings on NASDAQ and LSE, returning capital to venture investors. M&A deals are also becoming more active, with strategic players acquiring mature projects or merging with them to monetise technology. Collectively, these trends allow investors to anticipate exits and partial recovery of liquidity in the market, thereby stimulating interest in new funding rounds.
Diversification Across Sectors: Fintech, Biotech, Climate, and Defence
Investors are broadening their focus beyond "pure" AI to other sectors. In fintech, there is active investment in solutions for automating banking services and payments. For instance, AI platforms Model ML (Australia) and Nevis (UK) secured $75 million and $35 million, respectively, for automating investment banking and wealth management. The European payment platform Sokin received €42.9 million for global transactions. In biotech, the startup One-Carbon Therapeutics (Sweden) raised SEK 153 million (~$16.2 million) for cancer research. Climate and sustainable technologies are becoming a priority: investors are exploring projects aimed at reducing emissions, clean energy, and agri-tech. In the defence technology sector, German company Quantum Systems raised €180 million for the development of AI drones. Thus, venture fund portfolios are now balanced between AI and related sectors, from fintech and biomedicine to eco-technology and the defence industry.
- FinTech: Nevis ($35M, wealth management platform), Model ML ($75M, generative AI for investment banking), Sokin (€42.9M, payment infrastructure).
- Biotech & Health: One-Carbon Therapeutics (Sweden, SEK153M for oncology); startups focused on therapeutics and genomics.
- ClimateTech: clean energy, electric mobility, and carbon footprint reduction projects are receiving grants and venture rounds.
- DefenseTech: Quantum Systems (€180M) – autonomous combat drones with AI, as well as cybersecurity and drone projects.
- IndustrialTech: robotics, the Internet of Things, and manufacturing innovations are popular among industrial fund investors.
Consolidation and M&A Deals
The market is witnessing a revival of mergers and acquisitions. Venture funds are merging, and large corporations are acquiring tech startups to expand their portfolios. A notable example of consolidation is the merger of American funds CerraCap Ventures and Impact VC into a new global fund CerraCap Impact VC, creating a unified ecosystem for startups in AI, cybersecurity, and IT transformation. Analysts note that many M&A deals in AI and Web3 are occurring at a significant discount to past valuations: in recent months, dozens of startups valued at approximately $2.3 billion have been acquired, despite previous round valuations being almost four times higher. This reflects a wave of market rebalancing: strategic buyers are increasingly focusing on real profitability and technological comparability rather than the previous hype surrounding "yet-to-be-proven" technologies.
- Merger of CerraCap Ventures + Impact VC → CerraCap Impact VC (new global VC platform).
- OpenAI acquired a stake in Thrive Holdings (Thrive Capital) to integrate its technologies into accounting and IT services for large companies.
- Many AI and Web3 startups are currently exiting via M&A at a discount (~70%) to their last valuations, reflecting the realisation of overly optimistic assumptions.
- Funds and corporations are also forming joint CVC programmes, aiming to scale innovations more quickly by acquiring talented teams.
Geographic Trends in Investments: Asia, the Middle East, and Africa
Venture capital is actively entering new markets. In Asia, the increase in investments is particularly evident in China and Southeast Asia, where major tech startups are securing funding rounds in the hundreds of millions of yuan and dollars. For example, Chinese company Robot Era attracted approximately ¥1 billion (~$140M) for robotics development. In Southeast Asia, investors are financing fintech and insurance services – Thai online insurer Roojai raised $60M, and Indian real estate platform SquareYards secured $35M. In Singapore and the Philippines, deep tech projects are emerging with funding rounds of $10–50M.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are becoming hubs for venture investments: fintech startup Erad attracted a $125M credit line, while platform Revibe ($17M) and housing construction service Mnzil ($11.7M) received funding from international investors. Infrastructure projects (residential complexes, energy, logistics) are also being financed. In Africa, activity is rising in fintech and renewable energy; startups from Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are receiving funding from global funds. Thus, global venture activities are spreading far beyond traditional capitals – with a focus on regional tech leaders.
- Asian Market: Robot Era (China) raised ¥1 billion ($140M), Roojai (Thailand) – $60M (digital insurance), SquareYards (India) – $35M.
- Middle East: Saudi fintech Erad – $125M credit line, Revibe – $17M, startup Mnzil – $11.7M (Series A); regional infrastructure startups (Zinit, Strataphy, Buildroid AI) secured up to $8M.
- Africa: startups in fintech, e-commerce, and clean energy are attracting overseas capital; the largest deals are concentrated in South Africa and Nigeria.
Interest in Crypto and Blockchain Startups
Following a prolonged correction, the crypto market is showing signs of revival, which is also reflected in venture investments in Web3. Bitcoin prices remain around record highs (~$85–90K), and in the US, regulators are approving new products in crypto-assets: by the end of the year, the launch of ETFs on Bitcoin and Ethereum is anticipated. On December 3, 2025, a major upgrade called Fusaka is scheduled for the Ethereum network to enhance scalability and security. The success of public listings of crypto companies (ETFs, exchanges) is restoring investor confidence in the sector. Currently, DeFi, NFT infrastructure, and enterprise blockchain projects are securing rounds at high valuations. Experts warn that startups need to prepare for increased regulation, but overall interest in crypto technologies is on the rise.
Local Context: Russia and the CIS
The Russian startup market remains relatively small but is showing growth. According to Venture Guide and ComNews, in the first nine months of 2025, Russian tech companies raised approximately $125.5 million in venture investments – a 30% increase compared to the previous year. However, the number of deals has decreased (103 vs 120 in 2024), and there is a noticeable shortage of large rounds. IndustrialTech remains the leader in terms of investment volume in Russia ($29.7 million), followed by Healthcare ($19.1 million) and FinTech ($18.3 million). AI and machine learning startups attracted about $60.4 million, maintaining their leadership among technologies. Against the backdrop of a withdrawal of foreign capital, government institutions are attempting to support the ecosystem: "RUSNANO" and the Russian Direct Investment Fund plan to increase funding – RUSNANO aims to invest around 2.3 billion rubles in startups by the end of the year. However, currently, there are virtually no large international investors entering the Russian sector. In neighbouring CIS countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus), government initiatives and small rounds ($1–5 million) in exchange for equity continue.
- Investment volume in Russia (first nine months of 2025) – $125.5 million (+30% YoY); number of deals – 103 (−14%).
- Largest sectors by investments: IndustrialTech ($29.7M), Healthcare ($19.1M), FinTech ($18.3M).
- By technology, AI/ML leads: startups in this sector received ~$60.4M (over 30% of all investments).
- Government support: "RUSNANO" will invest ~2.3 billion rubles in domestic innovations by the end of 2025; similar programmes are being implemented by the RDIF and regional funds.
