Global Startup and Venture Capital News for Sunday, 1 February 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Venture Fund Activity, Key Technology Trends and Investment Priorities.
The start of 2026 continues the trend of revitalisation in the global startup and venture capital market. Following a downturn in 2022-2023 and a surge in investments in 2025, major investors around the world are once again actively funding promising technology companies. Record-breaking venture funding deals are being concluded, and plans for startups to go public are back on the agenda. Leading players are re-emerging with massive investments, while governments and corporations are bolstering support for innovation—significant private capital is once again flowing into startup ecosystems.
Venture activity is on the rise across all regions. The US maintains its leadership (especially due to the AI investment boom), while in the Middle East, startup funding volume has doubled in a year thanks to billion-dollar infusions from sovereign funds. In Europe, there has been a reshuffle: Germany has surpassed the UK for the first time in the number of venture deals. India, Southeast Asia, and Gulf countries are attracting record amounts of capital, while investor activity in China has slightly decreased. The startup ecosystems in Russia and neighbouring countries are striving to keep pace with global trends despite external constraints. Therefore, a new early-stage venture boom is forming on the global stage, although investors remain selective and cautious regarding deals.
Below is an overview of key events and trends defining the venture market agenda as of 1 February 2026:
- Return of mega funds and large investors. Leading venture firms are raising record-sized funds and significantly increasing investments, saturating the market with capital and reigniting risk appetite.
- Record rounds in AI and a new wave of unicorns. Exceptionally large investment deals are driving startup valuations to unprecedented heights, particularly in the AI segment, leading to the emergence of numerous new unicorn companies.
- Revival of the IPO market. Successful public offerings of technology companies and new listing applications signal that the long-awaited "window" for public offerings is back open.
- Diversification of industry focus. Venture capital is flowing not only into AI but also into fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defence developments, cryptocurrency startups, and other promising sectors.
- Wave of consolidation and M&A deals. Major mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments are reshaping the industry landscape, creating new opportunities for exits and accelerated growth of startups.
- Local focus: Russia and the CIS. Despite restrictions, new funds and initiatives are being launched in the region to support local startup ecosystems, attracting attention from investors.
Mega Funds Return: Big Money Back in the Market
The venture market is triumphantly welcoming back the largest investment players, signalling a renewed appetite for risk. In recent weeks, several top funds have announced record capital raises: the American firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) closed new funds at approximately $15 billion (unprecedented for the industry), Lightspeed raised about $9 billion, and Tiger Global returned with a $2.2 billion fund. Sovereign funds from the Gulf region have also become active, pouring billions of dollars into technology and launching mega projects to develop the ecosystem. Japan's SoftBank, having recovered from previous setbacks, invested around $40 billion in OpenAI, once again making a substantial bet on AI. As a result, venture funds are sitting on hundreds of billions of dollars in "dry powder," which is filling the startup market with liquidity and supporting the growth of promising companies. The return of mega funds and large institutional investors intensifies competition for the best deals while instilling confidence in the sector regarding forthcoming capital inflows.
AI Investment Boom: Record Deals and New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the current venture boom. Investors are eager to secure positions at the forefront of the AI revolution and are prepared to finance colossal funding rounds. Even in the early weeks of 2026, unprecedented deals have been reported, even at early stages: for instance, the startup lab Humans& (USA), founded by top specialists from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, secured about $480 million in seed funding—a record amount for a seed round. Another example is the project Ricursive Intelligence (USA), aimed at breakthrough AI, which received $300 million in a Series A round at a valuation of approximately $4 billion. Additionally, the new startup Merge Labs, founded by OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman to develop brain-computer interfaces, reportedly obtained about $252 million in initial funding. As a result of this race, the club of "unicorns" is rapidly expanding: in recent months alone, dozens of startups have crossed the $1 billion valuation threshold, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and defence technologies.
The IPO Market Revives: Window for Exits Open Again
The situation in the US and Europe has also improved: following the first successful listings in 2025, more "unicorns" are going public. The American fintech giant Chime debuted on Nasdaq, and its shares rose approximately 40% on the first day, bolstering investor confidence.
The potentially largest listing in history is now on the horizon: Elon Musk's space company SpaceX plans an IPO in mid-2026, aiming to raise up to $50 billion at a valuation of around $1.5 trillion (nearly double the record set by Saudi Aramco in 2019). Other highly anticipated IPOs include those of giants such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks—these exits could invigorate the market and attract widespread attention. The revival of IPO market activity is critically important for the venture ecosystem: successful public exits return capital to investors and enable reinvestment into new projects.
Diversification of Investments: Fintech, Climate Projects, Biotech and Beyond
In 2026, venture investments are encompassing an increasingly broad range of sectors, reducing market dependence on a single trend. Following the explosive growth of AI investments, investor attention is shifting back to other segments:
- Fintech: Restoration of activity and major rounds in fintech startups across the globe (from the US and Europe to emerging markets).
- Climate technologies: Record investments in "green" energy, agri-tech, and other eco-tech projects amid a global focus on sustainable development.
- Biotech and health: A new influx of capital into biotechnology, medical startups, and digital health amidst scientific breakthroughs and a return of investor confidence in the sector.
- Defence and aerospace developments: Increased funding for startups in national security, defence, aerospace, and cybersecurity.
- Cryptocurrency startups: A gradual return of interest in blockchain projects and cryptocurrency services as the digital asset market stabilises.
Thus, in 2026 venture capital is being distributed across numerous niches, and funds are searching for growth points not only in AI. The expansion of industry focus means more opportunities for startups of varying profiles, from finance and energy to medicine and defence.
Market Consolidation: Major M&A Deals Reshape the Landscape
High valuations of startups and fierce competition for technological leadership are leading to a wave of consolidation. Large corporations and mature unicorns are increasingly acquiring promising teams or merging to accelerate growth and acquire key technologies. Multi-billion dollar deals have already occurred: for instance, Apple is purchasing the Israeli AI startup Q.ai for approximately $1.6 billion (one of Apple's largest purchases in recent times), Google is acquiring the cybersecurity platform Wiz for a record $32 billion, and Capital One is absorbing the fintech platform Brex for $5.15 billion. Such mergers and acquisitions are reshaping the industry landscape, allowing rapidly growing companies to scale under the umbrella of tech giants and providing venture investors with opportunities for much-anticipated exits.
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, the startup environment in Russia and the CIS is also showing signs of revitalisation, following global trends. In the region, new venture funds with a total volume of approximately 10-12 billion roubles aimed at supporting early-stage technology projects have been announced. Local startups are beginning to attract more substantial capital: for example, the Krasnodar-based food tech service Qummy secured about 440 million roubles, while Motorica (developer of advanced rehabilitation tools) attracted over 800 million roubles from a private investor. Moreover, authorities have permitted foreign investors to once again invest in Russian startups, which is gradually rekindling interest from overseas capital. Although the volume of venture investments in the region remains modest compared to global standards, it is steadily increasing. Several major technology companies are contemplating taking their divisions public when market conditions improve—for instance, VK Tech has publicly indicated the possibility of an IPO in the foreseeable future. New government support measures and corporate initiatives aim to provide an additional boost to the local startup ecosystem and integrate it into global trends.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism Among Investors
Such a powerful start to the year fosters moderately optimistic sentiments within the venture industry. On the one hand, record rounds and the emergence of new funds provide startups with access to capital, while successful IPOs confirm that the downturn period is behind us. On the other hand, investors remain highly selective about projects and are tightening scrutiny over the performance of portfolio companies to prevent the new upturn from turning into overheating.
Importantly, the volume of available capital remains high: global venture funds possess "dry powder" amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars, ready for investment. These reserves can sustain the pace of innovation financing even amid changes in the macroeconomic landscape, intensifying competition for the best deals.
Undoubtedly, risks persist: rising interest rates, geopolitical instability, and stock market volatility could dampen risk appetite. Nevertheless, the startup ecosystem enters 2026 with resilience and restrained optimism. Venture investors and founders are hopeful that the market will continue to grow in the coming months—provided that project valuations remain reasonable and external conditions are favourable.
