Startup and Venture Investment News for Friday, 6 February 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Venture Capital Activity, AI Startup Growth, and Key Trends in the Global Venture Market.
As we enter February 2026, the global venture capital market shows a robust recovery following the downturns of recent years. Preliminary estimates suggest that 2025 was one of the most successful years on record for startup investments, second only to the peak years of 2021 and 2022, indicating a return of sizeable private capital to the technology sector. Investors worldwide are once again actively funding promising companies, with record-scale deals being made and startup plans for public offerings returning to the agenda. Major venture funds are taking centre stage with new mega-rounds and investment strategies, while governments and sovereign funds are increasing their support for innovation, keen to keep pace in the global technology race. Consequently, at the start of 2026, the venture market displays a positive trend, instilling cautious optimism, even as investors remain selective in their assessments of startups' valuations and business models.
Geographically, the increase in venture activity is global in nature. The United States continues to be the primary driving force, accounting for the lion’s share of significant funding rounds, especially in the field of artificial intelligence. In Europe, investment growth persists: Germany surpassed the UK in total venture capital raised for the first time in a decade by the end of 2025, reflecting the strengthening of European technology hubs. The dynamics in Asia are mixed: India’s ecosystem has reached a new level of maturity (with the first ‘unicorns’ of 2026 emerging in January and high-profile IPOs reoccurring on local exchanges), while the Chinese market remains restrained due to regulatory pressures and a shift of capital towards domestic projects — however, Chinese investors are actively investing in foreign AI startups and chip companies to maintain global presence. In the Middle East and North Africa, there is an acceleration: funds from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are ramping up financing for technology companies both in their region and globally, focusing on fintech, cloud services, and AI. The startup ecosystems in Russia and neighbouring countries are also striving to keep up with global trends by launching local funds and support programmes, albeit on a significantly smaller scale. Overall, 2026 marks the beginning of a new venture upturn, although market participants remain aware of the associated risks.
Key events and trends shaping the agenda for startups and venture investments on 6 February 2026 include:
- The Return of Mega Funds and Large Investors. Leading players are raising record-sized venture funds and significantly increasing their investments, once again saturating the market with capital.
- Unprecedented AI Mega Rounds and New Unicorns. Historically large investments in artificial intelligence are driving valuations for startups to unprecedented heights.
- Energy and Climate Technologies Attract Mega Deals. The sustainable energy and climate tech sector is coming to the forefront owing to billion-dollar funding rounds.
- Consolidation in Fintech and a Wave of M&A Deals. Mature fintech companies are becoming targets for multi-billion dollar acquisitions, mergers, and strategic purchases in the global market.
- Revival of the IPO Market. Initial public offerings of technology companies are once again in the spotlight: successful IPOs are encouraging new candidates to go public.
- Focus on Defence and Cyber Startups. Venture funds are redirecting capital towards strategic industries—defence, space, and cybersecurity—in response to new geopolitical challenges.
The Return of Mega Funds and Record Investments
Following a period of quiet, the venture market has been rejuvenated by the triumphant return of so-called “mega funds”—giant capital pools for technology investments. American flagship Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has raised over $15 billion in new funds, boosting its assets under management to a record $90 billion. These funds are targeting priority sectors—artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, defence technologies, and biotech. Concurrently, Japanese giant SoftBank has amplified its presence in the AI sector: at the end of 2025, SoftBank invested approximately $22.5 billion in OpenAI, marking one of the largest single investments in the history of the startup industry. The resurgence of activity from such major players confirms the trend of capital concentration among industry leaders and the desire of investors to secure a stake in the next technological breakthrough.
AI Startup Boom: Mega Rounds and New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector remains the primary engine of the current venture boom. AI startups are attracting unprecedented levels of funding, setting new records for round sizes. For instance, the project xAI, founded by Elon Musk, raised approximately $20 billion with the participation of Nvidia—a staggering amount for a private company. In the sector, industry leader OpenAI not only consistently attracts substantial capital but also secures strategic partnerships: recently OpenAI ensured exclusive supplies of high-performance Cerebras chips worth over $10 billion to accelerate its models, reinforcing its technological advantage. New players are also swiftly emerging: in the United States, generative video startups (such as Higgsfield) and voice AI companies (like Deepgram and others) have achieved unicorn valuations just a few years after their inception. In Europe, German company Parloa secured $350 million at a valuation of around $3 billion, further underscoring the global nature of the current AI frenzy. The enormous capital flowing into artificial intelligence today reflects an intense competition among companies and states for leadership in this domain. The majority of venture dollars are funnelled into AI projects, creating new market imbalances and raising concerns about overheating in certain segments.
Climate Technologies Secure Mega Deals
Amidst rising demand for electricity and a shift towards sustainable sources, significant capital has flowed into climate and energy technologies. One recent landmark event was the record funding round for the American project Base Power (Austin, Texas), which is developing a network of home battery systems for energy storage and feeding excess back into the grid under the concept of a “virtual power plant.” The startup raised approximately $1 billion (Series C) at a valuation of about $3 billion—one of the largest rounds in the history of climate tech. Investors including Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed, and Google Capital participated in the deal, indicative of a high level of confidence in energy innovations. The capital raised will enable Base Power to accelerate the construction of its battery manufacturing facility and expand its market presence. Venture funds are betting on solutions capable of reducing stress on electrical grids during peak periods (especially considering the soaring energy consumption of data centres for AI) and accelerating the transition to renewable sources. Overall, the segment of climate and “green” startups is attracting increasing funding. Billion-dollar investments are being directed towards energy storage projects, electric vehicle development, climate fintech (such as trading platforms for carbon credits or insuring climate risks), and other technologies designed to combat climate change.
Fintech Consolidation: Major Exits and M&A
In the fintech sector, a new wave of consolidation has begun, signalling the maturing of the fintech market. Several high-profile deals were announced in January 2026. For instance, bank Capital One agreed to acquire startup Brex (a corporate expense management platform) for $5.15 billion. This purchase stands as the largest “bank-fintech” deal in history, underlining established financial giants' eagerness to integrate cutting-edge fintech solutions. European venture fund Hg acquired American fintech platform OneStream for approximately $6.4 billion, buying out interests from previous investors (including KKR). Other significant transactions have also been announced: exchange operator Deutsche Börse is buying investment platform Allfunds for €5.3 billion to strengthen its position in WealthTech, while US Bancorp is acquiring brokerage firm BTIG for around $1 billion. In addition to traditional players acquiring fintechs, several rapidly growing startups are entering the market for acquisitions themselves: for example, Australian unicorn Airwallex is expanding into Asia by acquiring the Korean payments company Paynuri. The surge in M&A activity illustrates that as the industry matures, successful fintech companies either become integrated into larger corporations or expand their influence through strategic acquisitions.
The IPO Market Awakens: Tech Companies Go Public
The initial public offerings (IPO) market for technology companies is steadily reviving following an extended lull. By 2025, it exceeded analysts' expectations with a remarkable number of high-profile stock market entries: in the United States alone, no fewer than 23 companies went public with valuations exceeding $1 billion (compared to 9 the previous year), and the total capitalisation of these offerings surpassed $125 billion. Investors are once again eager to welcome profitable and fast-growing businesses to public markets, especially if a company has a clear narrative involving artificial intelligence or other “hot” technologies. This trend is anticipated to continue in 2026, with several well-known unicorns hinting at preparations for IPOs. Among the most anticipated candidates for public listing are:
- Major fintech unicorns: payment platforms Plaid and Revolut.
- AI leaders: AI model developer OpenAI, big data platform Databricks, and business-focused AI startup Cohere.
- Other tech giants: for example, the space company SpaceX, provided market conditions are favourable.
Successful debuts from these companies could provide an added impetus to the market, although experts remind us that volatility could at any moment restrict this "IPO window." Nevertheless, the current revival in public markets reinforces the belief that investors are ready to reward startups with strong growth and profitability metrics.
Defence and Cyber Startups in the Spotlight
The geopolitical landscape and new risks are reshaping venture investors' priorities. In light of global tensions and a desire to ensure technological independence, substantial capital is being directed towards defence technologies and cybersecurity. In the U.S., the American Dynamism initiative is gaining traction—investments in companies that enhance national security. It is noteworthy that part of the funds from the new a16z mega round will be allocated specifically to startups in the defence sector and deeptech. Developers of technology for military and governmental purposes are attracting nine-figure sums; for example, the California-based company Onebrief, which creates software for military planning, recently secured about $200 million in investments at a valuation exceeding $2 billion and simultaneously acquired a relevant startup to bolster its platform's capabilities. In Europe, one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity startups is Belgian Aikido Security, which has reached unicorn status (valuation of $1 billion) in just two years, thanks to its comprehensive platform for protecting source code and cloud systems. Such successes reflect the escalating market demand for technologies that ensure digital and national security—from supply chain protection (for instance, the British project Cyb3r Operations raised approximately $5 million for monitoring cyber risks) to new reconnaissance tools and satellite surveillance. The trend of enhanced interest in defence projects is also observable at the state level: authorities and government funds in the U.S., Europe, and Israel are actively investing in dual-use startups that could provide strategic advantages.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism and Balancing Growth
Despite the rapid growth observed at the start of the year, investors remain cautious, keeping recent market cooling lessons in mind. Capital has indeed started to flow back into the technology sector, but scrutiny on startups has tightened: funds expect teams to have clear business models, economic efficiency, and understandable paths to profitability. Company valuations are on the rise again, especially in the AI segment, but investors are increasingly focusing on risk diversification and the long-term sustainability of their portfolios. The return of liquidity—from billion-dollar venture funds to new IPOs—creates opportunities for significant growth, while simultaneously intensifying competition for standout projects. It is likely that in 2026, the venture capital industry will enter a phase of more balanced development. Funding for “breakthrough” sectors (such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, climate, and defence technologies) will continue, but there will be a heightened focus on growth quality, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance. This approach should help the market avoid overheating and lay the groundwork for sustainable innovation development in the long term.
