Global Startup and Venture Investment News for 29 January 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Venture Fund Activity, AI Startup Growth and Key Trends in the Global Venture Market.
The global venture capital market approaches the end of January 2026 with a sense of confident growth. After a prolonged downturn from 2022 to 2024 and a cautious recovery in 2025, investors worldwide are once again actively funding promising technology startups. Record funding deals are being sealed, and companies' plans for IPOs are back on the agenda. Major players in the industry are returning with substantial investments, while governments and corporations are ramping up their support for innovation—significant private capital is once again flowing into the startup ecosystem. These trends signal the emergence of a new investment boom at early stages, although market participants remain selective and cautious in their deal-making.
Venture activity is rising across all regions. The US is solidifying its leading position (particularly due to investments in the AI sector), while the Middle East sees a multiple increase in startup funding, driven by an influx of capital from sovereign funds. In Europe, however, a shift has occurred: Germany has surpassed the UK in terms of venture deals for the first time. India, Southeast Asia, and Gulf countries are setting records for capital attraction, while activity in China has seen a slight decline. The startup ecosystems in Russia and neighbouring countries are striving to keep pace with global trends despite external limitations.
Below are the key events and trends shaping the venture market agenda for 29 January 2026:
- The return of megafunds and large investors. Leading venture firms are raising record amounts for new funds, injecting liquidity into the market and rekindling risk appetite.
- Record rounds in AI and a new wave of "unicorns". Exceptionally large deals are driving valuations of startups to new heights, especially in the AI segment, leading to the emergence of numerous new unicorns.
- Revitalisation of the IPO market. Successful market debuts of technology companies and new listing applications confirm that the long-awaited IPO "window" has reopened.
- A wave of consolidation through M&A deals. Major mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships are reshaping the industry landscape, providing investors with opportunities for rapid exits.
- Diversification of sector focus. Venture capital is being directed not only to AI but also to fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defence developments, crypto startups, and other promising areas.
- Local focus: Russia and CIS countries. Despite restrictions, new funds and programmes aimed at developing local startup ecosystems are being launched in the region, attracting investor interest.
The Return of Megafunds: Big Money Back in the Market
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture arena, as the industry's risk appetite noticeably increases. In recent weeks, several top funds have announced the closure of new megafunds. For instance, American Lightspeed Venture Partners raised around $9 billion (an unprecedented fundraising effort in 2025), while a number of other leading firms have also formed multi-billion-dollar funds. After a period of dormancy, Tiger Global is making its move with plans to target approximately $2.2 billion for a new fund—a significantly lower amount than previous levels, reflecting a more cautious approach. Sovereign investors have also become active, with Gulf states pouring billions into tech projects and launching their own startup support programmes.
Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, having recovered from past setbacks, is again making large bets. At the end of 2025, SoftBank invested approximately $40 billion in OpenAI. The return of such powerful financiers signifies the presence of hundreds of billions of dollars in "dry powder"—uninvested capital eager to be deployed. These resources are already entering the market, heightening competition for the best projects and maintaining high valuations for promising companies. The resurgence of megafunds and large institutional players not only heightens competition for the most lucrative deals but also instils confidence in the industry regarding the continued inflow of capital.
Record AI Investments and a Surge in New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the current venture upswing, exhibiting unprecedented funding volumes. Investors are eager to secure positions at the forefront of the AI revolution by directing colossal funds into the most promising projects. In 2025, several companies raised multi-billion-dollar funding rounds: OpenAI received about $40 billion at a valuation of approximately $300 billion, while its competitor Anthropic secured around $13 billion. Capital is being infused not only into established leaders but also into emerging teams.
For instance, American startup Baseten, which develops infrastructure for AI, raised approximately $300 million at a valuation of about $5 billion. Such infusions are rapidly expanding the club of unicorns. In just the past few months, dozens of startups—from generative AI and specialised chips to cloud-based AI services—have crossed the threshold of a $1 billion valuation. While experts caution about the risk of overheating, the venture capital appetite for AI startups remains unyielding.
IPO Wave: The Window for Exits is Open Again
The global primary public offering market is reviving after a two-year hiatus, once again providing startups with opportunities to go public. A new wave of listings has been launched in Hong Kong, where several major technology companies have gone public in recent months, collectively raising billions of dollars. For example, the Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi issued an additional tranche of shares worth around $4 billion, showing that investors in the region are once again ready to support significant placements actively.
The situation is also improving in the US and Europe: following successful debuts in 2024-2025, an increasing number of unicorns are preparing to become public. American fintech giant Stripe, which has long delayed its IPO, is now planning a listing in 2026 amidst favourable market conditions. Design platform Figma opted for a standalone IPO instead of selling to a strategic investor, raising over $1 billion—its market capitalisation has since risen steadily. Even the crypto industry is eager to take advantage of the revival: fintech company Circle successfully conducted an IPO. Notably, giants like OpenAI and SpaceX are also contemplating the possibility of going public—their IPOs could potentially become some of the largest in history. The resurgence of activity in the IPO market is crucial for the venture ecosystem: successful public exits return capital to investors and enable them to direct funds towards new projects.
Consolidation and M&A: Major Deals Reshaping the Industry
High valuations of startups and fierce competition for leaders are leading to increased consolidation within the technology sector. Major corporations and highly valued late-stage unicorns are increasingly acquiring promising teams or merging with one another to accelerate growth. The year 2025 has become one of the record years for the volume of such deals: the total value of global venture M&A approached all-time highs, exceeding the 2021 boom level in the US. The culmination of this wave was Google’s acquisition of the cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion—this marks the largest purchase of a venture-backed company in the industry’s history.
Besides this groundbreaking agreement, there has been a series of multi-billion-dollar acquisitions across different segments. Below are just a few examples of the largest deals in recent months:
- Capital One bank acquired fintech platform Brex for approximately $5.15 billion;
- Crypto exchange Coinbase acquired its competitor—the derivatives exchange Deribit;
- Company IonQ purchased British quantum startup Oxford Ionics.
The activation of the M&A market provides venture funds with new opportunities for profitable exits, while startups gain resources for scaling under the wing of larger partners. The consolidation of players through mergers accelerates the maturation of specific niches while simultaneously opening up new niches for the next wave of teams.
Diversification of Investments: Not Just AI
The upswing of 2025-2026 is characterised by the inflow of capital into a wide array of sectors. After the downturn of previous years, funding for financial technology is reviving: significant rounds are taking place not only in the US but also in Europe and emerging markets, fuelling the growth of new fintech services. Concurrently, spurred by the global focus on sustainable development, interest in climate and environmental projects is rising—startups in renewable energy, energy storage, and carbon footprint reduction are attracting record investments. Appetite for biotechnology is also returning: recent breakthroughs in medicine are encouraging funds to finance substantial healthcare projects once again. Furthermore, the partial restoration of trust in the cryptocurrency market has allowed some blockchain startups to secure investments once more.
Attention is also growing towards defence technologies, aerospace developments, and robotics. Amid geopolitical challenges, investors are keen to support projects focused on national security, aerospace startups, and innovations for Industry 4.0. Below are key areas, aside from AI, where venture investments are currently flowing:
- Financial technology (fintech): digital banks, payment platforms, online services;
- Climate and 'green' projects: renewable energy, carbon footprint reduction, eco-friendly infrastructure;
- Biotechnology and medicine: development of new drugs, biomedical devices, digital healthcare;
- Defence and aerospace technologies: defence-tech startups, drones, satellites, robotic systems.
Thus, the venture landscape is becoming more balanced. Capital is being distributed across various sectors, mitigating the risk of overheating in any one area. Funds are forming diversified portfolios and are keen to avoid repeating past mistakes, where excessive funding in a single fashionable direction led to the emergence of market "bubbles".
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external limitations, there is a revival of startup activity in Russia and neighbouring countries. In particular, several new venture funds with a total volume of around 10-12 billion roubles have been announced, aimed at supporting early-stage tech projects. Local startups are beginning to attract significant capital: for example, the Krasnodar-based food tech project Qummy raised approximately 440 million roubles at a valuation of about 2.4 billion roubles. Additionally, foreign investors have been allowed again to invest in local projects, gradually reigniting interest from overseas capital.
Although the volumes of venture investments in the region remain modest compared to global levels, they are gradually increasing. Some major companies are considering taking their tech divisions public as market conditions improve—VK Tech has publicly acknowledged the possibility of an IPO in the foreseeable future. New government support measures and corporate initiatives are designed to provide an additional boost to the local startup ecosystem and integrate it into global trends.
Prospects: Cautious Optimism
The venture community enters 2026 with a mood of restrained optimism. Successful IPOs, mega rounds, and exits from the end of last year have shown that the period of decline is behind us; however, lessons from the recent past have been taken into account. Investors are now assessing startup business models and their paths to profitability much more carefully, avoiding the race for growth at any cost. This disciplined approach helps to prevent market overheating.
At the same time, key trends inspire confidence in continued growth. The IPO window, which was closed in 2022-2023, has now opened and allows mature companies to realise their plans for going public. An active M&A market provides projects with new exit opportunities, while the emergence of new megafunds guarantees the availability of capital to finance the next generation of startups. Macroeconomic risks remain, but venture investors approach the current upswing more prepared than before. The first weeks of 2026 confirm that the global startup ecosystem is gaining momentum. If positive trends continue, this year could bring further growth in venture investments and the emergence of new technological leaders.
