Current Startups and Venture Investment News for Friday, 2 January 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Investments in AI, Fintech and Biotech, Global Venture Trends, and Fund Strategies.
Record Investments in AI Startups
The year 2025 marked a record high for venture capital investment in artificial intelligence-related startups. Analysts estimate that the total capital raised in this field amounted to approximately $150–200 billion, significantly surpassing previous highs (around $92 billion in 2021). In light of the rapid growth in funding, startups are advised to build "fortress" balances—accumulating cash reserves to guard against potential market corrections. Among the largest deals of the year, SoftBank's investment in OpenAI stands out, bringing its total investment to $41 billion (the company now holds about 11% of the startup's shares). The American startup Anthropic raised $13 billion in a round in autumn 2025, while Meta invested over $14 billion in Scale AI—a project focused on data preparation for training neural networks.
- SoftBank completed its investment in OpenAI, totalling $41 billion (approximately 11% of the company's shares).
- Anthropic raised $13 billion in September 2025.
- Meta invested over $14 billion in the startup Scale AI, which focuses on data preparation for AI.
Major Venture Deals
In addition to the aforementioned AI sector funding rounds, the end of 2025 saw other significant venture deals. NVIDIA is investing $2 billion in Elon Musk's xAI project—the funds will be used to purchase graphics processors for the new Colossus 2 data centre in the United States. NVIDIA also signed a strategic agreement with AI chip developer Groq: as part of a $20 billion deal, Groq transferred rights to its technology to NVIDIA (Groq's founder has joined NVIDIA's team). Another notable example is the $250 million raised by the Mexican fintech startup Plata (which serves over 2 million clients), increasing its valuation to $3.1 billion. Furthermore, several other startups attracted new investments, highlighting the diversification of venture funds' interests across various sectors.
- NVIDIA invests $2 billion in Elon Musk's xAI startup to purchase GPUs and scale the Colossus 2 data centre.
- NVIDIA acquired AI chip technology rights from Groq for $20 billion: the founder of Groq and several engineers joined NVIDIA.
- Mexican fintech Plata (formerly of Tinkoff) raised $250 million, increasing its valuation to $3.1 billion.
New Funds and Support Programmes
Governments and major funds worldwide are intensifying support for technology startups. China has established a national venture fund with a volume of ¥100 billion ($14.3 billion) and launched three regional funds (each exceeding ¥50 billion), focusing on promising technologies (from IoT to biotechnology). The national fund is designed for a 20-year term and targets small startups valued at up to ¥500 million. Additionally, China has created three specialized "hardware" funds, each worth $7.14 billion, to support chip developers, quantum computing, biotechnology, and space ventures. In the private sector, the new Davidovs Venture Collective fund ($75 million) has been established by the Davidov family to support early-stage AI startups—$40 million has already been raised. In Russia, Yandex has announced a support programme for startups worth ₽500 million: this initiative offers a tripling of advertising budgets across Yandex services and preferential terms for programme participants.
- China launched a national venture fund (~¥100 billion, $14.3 billion) and three regional funds (~¥50 billion each) to invest in technology startups.
- China also established three specialized funds of $7.14 billion each for "hardware" technologies (chips, quantum computing, biotechnology, etc.).
- The Davidov venture investor family launched the AI fund Davidovs Venture Collective with a total of $75 million (currently raised $40 million).
- Yandex announced a support programme for startups worth ₽500 million: it offers participants a tripling of budgets in Yandex.Direct and special conditions across Yandex's services.
Breakthrough Startups and Unicorns
The surge in investment is enabling some startups to make significant jumps and achieve unicorn status (valuations over $1 billion). For instance, the American AI recruitment platform Mercor (founded by 21-year-old graduates) has seen its valuation soar to several billion dollars after a series of funding rounds. The Chinese AI search startup DeepSeek has also become one of the most valuable companies, with a valuation approaching $11.5 billion. In the fintech and digital services sector, leaders are fortifying their positions: Revolut is expanding operations through overseas acquisitions, while Plata has become a notable player in the Latin American market. These cases illustrate that the most prominent successes are emerging from the fields of AI, fintech, SaaS, and big data.
- The American platform Mercor (AI recruitment) has reached a valuation of several billion dollars and has entered the ranks of "unicorns," making its founders billionaires.
- The Chinese startup DeepSeek (AI search) is also among the notable unicorns, valued at around $11.5 billion.
- Fintech companies and SaaS projects continue to thrive: Revolut is strengthening its position through external investments and acquisitions, while Plata has become one of the largest fintech startups in Latin America.
Key Trends in the Venture Market
The current upswing in the venture market is characterised by the concentration of capital in "hot" sectors. According to industry experts, AI projects attracted over $200 billion in investments in 2025, resulting in hundreds of new dollar billionaires (Elon Musk's capital approached ~$645 billion, while J. Huang's grew to ~$159 billion). Venture investors point to record concentration: a sizable portion of investments has gone to a small number of industry leaders, while many startups have secured no funding. Startups are advised to reach profitability as quickly as possible and create financial "cushions": otherwise, businesses risk suffering setbacks in the event of market changes. In contrast, the Russian market is experiencing decreased activity: the number of deals involving local startups has fallen by approximately 30%, and the volume of investments has declined by about 10% (to ~₽7.2 billion).
- Investments in AI startups exceeded ~$200 billion in 2025 (an increase of about 75% compared to the previous year).
- Market participants note hundreds of new billionaires among AI project founders (Musk's capital increased by nearly 50%, while Huang's doubled).
- A significant portion of funds has been funnelled into a narrow circle of projects: many secondary startups have not secured funding amid fierce competition.
- Analysts advise startups to build financial reserves and focus on sustainable profitability to weather potential market slowdowns.
- In the Russian market (amid sanctions), a reverse trend is observed: in 2025, the number of deals dropped by approximately 30%, and investment volume fell by 10% (to approximately ₽7.2 billion).
Globalisation of the Market and New Tech Hubs
The venture boom of 2025 is marked by an increasingly broad geographical scope of investments. Traditional centres (the USA, Europe, China) remain significant, but substantial capital is flowing into new regions. The Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, UAE) is becoming a major technology hub due to massive state fund investments. In Asia, growth is shifting: India and Southeast Asia are attracting record sums, while China has slowed down somewhat due to regulatory risks. Europe is seeing a redistribution: for the first time in a long while, Germany has overtaken the UK in total venture deals. The USA continues to lead in absolute investment volumes, especially in AI projects. Africa and Latin America have also produced their first unicorns, indicating the genuinely global nature of today's growth.
- The Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, UAE) has emerged as a new tech hub, with local funds injecting billions into startups.
- In Asia, capital is gradually shifting from China to India and Southeast Asia: these markets are attracting record venture amounts, despite cooling in China.
- In Europe, Germany has surpassed the UK in total venture deals for the first time in a decade, reinforcing the status of continental hubs.
- The USA retains its lead in absolute capital investments (predominantly in AI). Emerging regions are producing their own unicorns, as startups from Africa and Latin America attract investor attention.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As 2026 commences, venture investors and experts greet the year with cautious optimism. After a sharp increase in funding last year, the market may slow down, and startups need to remain attuned to risks. The key recommendation is to build businesses on sustainable models and to establish financial reserves in case of corrections. Success in the upcoming year will hinge on entrepreneurs' ability to demonstrate real profitability and to address the long-term needs of the market. Despite this, many industry participants are confident that the right ideas and effective management will continue to attract investment to promising startups, even in the face of heightened scrutiny.
- Analysts predict a slowdown in the growth of the venture market and advise startups to create a financial "safety net," focusing on real profitability.
- Startups must demonstrate sustainable income and market demand for their products to maintain investor interest under the new conditions.
- Government programmes and corporate funds are expected to continue financing strategic areas (AI, quantum technologies, "green" innovations), opening additional opportunities for mature projects.
