Startup and Venture Investment News for Friday, 30 January 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Venture Capital Activity, Global Trends and Key Deals in the Global Startup Market.
At the beginning of 2026, the global venture market has gained significant momentum after several years of decline. Investors worldwide are once again actively financing technology startups — record deals are being made, and IPO plans are back in the spotlight. Major players are returning with substantial investments, and governments are strengthening their support for innovation. As a result, private capital is flowing back into startup ecosystems around the world.
Venture activity is witnessing growth across all regions. The USA confidently leads (especially in the artificial intelligence sector), while venture investment in the Middle East has doubled, and Germany has surpassed the UK for the first time in deal numbers in Europe. India, Southeast Asia, and Gulf countries are attracting record amounts of capital against the backdrop of a relative decline in activity in China. The startup ecosystems in Russia and the CIS countries are also striving to keep pace, despite external constraints. A global early-stage venture boom is forming, although investors continue to be selective and cautious.
Below are some key events and trends shaping the venture market agenda as of 30 January 2026:
- Return of Mega Funds and Major Investors. Leading venture firms are raising unprecedentedly large funds and significantly increasing investments, saturating the market with capital and igniting a risk appetite.
- Record Deals in AI and New "Unicorns." Unusually large funding rounds are raising startup valuations to unseen heights, particularly in the artificial intelligence segment.
- Revival of the IPO Market. Successful IPO launches by technology companies and new applications confirm that the long-awaited "window" for exits has reopened.
- Diversification of Sector Focus. Venture capital is being directed not only to AI but also to fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defence developments, and even crypto-startups.
- 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.
- Local Focus: Russia and the CIS. New funds and initiatives are being launched in the region to develop local startup ecosystems, attracting investor interest despite limitations.
Mega Funds and Big Money: Global Investors Back in Action
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture arena, signalling a renewed appetite for risk. For instance, Japan's SoftBank has doubled down on the AI sector and made a 'all-in' bet on OpenAI, investing around $40 billion — one of the largest private investments in the history of the tech sector. Top venture funds are also forming huge reserves: Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) raised approximately $15 billion in new funds, increasing its assets under management to over $90 billion and directing capital to cutting-edge fields (AI, cryptocurrencies, defence technologies, biotech, etc.). Simultaneously, sovereign funds from Middle Eastern countries, primarily the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have significantly increased their investments in technology — pouring billions into both global funds and directly into startups. Numerous new venture capital funds are emerging worldwide, attracting substantial institutional capital. This influx of "big money" is filling the startup market with liquidity, providing resources for new funding rounds and supporting the growth of valuations for promising companies. The return of mega funds and large institutional investors is not only heightening competition for prime deals but also instilling confidence in the industry about the ongoing flow of capital.
Record Investments in AI and a New Wave of "Unicorns"
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the current venture boom, demonstrating record levels of financing. Investors are eager to establish themselves among the leaders in the AI race, directing colossal funds to the most promising projects. For instance, Elon Musk's startup xAI recently attracted an unprecedented $20 billion in investments (with Nvidia as a key investor) for large-scale data centre expansion and accelerating AI development. Moreover, OpenAI is negotiating an even larger round — discussions are underway for up to $50 billion at a valuation of around $750–800 billion, highlighting the excitement surrounding industry leaders. Notably, venture investments are being directed not only to end AI applications but also to the infrastructure for them: the market is ready to generously finance even the "picks and shovels" of the new AI ecosystem — from specialised chips to cloud platforms for model training.
The current investment boom is giving rise to a wave of new "unicorns" — startups with valuations over $1 billion. In recent weeks, several companies have rapidly achieved this status. For example, the American startup Higgsfield, which develops AI-generated video technology, became a "unicorn," raising around $80 million at a valuation exceeding $1.3 billion (just a year after launching sales). Meanwhile, the Belgian company Aikido Security, specialising in cybersecurity, reached a valuation of $1 billion, attracting only $60 million in Series B funding — a remarkably fast path to "unicorn" status for Europe. While experts caution about the risks of market overheating, investor appetite for AI startups remains strong.
The IPO Market Awakens: SpaceX Prepares for a Record Listing
The global market for initial public offerings (IPOs) is emerging from a lull and gaining traction. In Asia, Hong Kong has launched a new wave of IPOs: several major technology companies have gone public there in recent months, collectively raising billions of dollars. For instance, Chinese battery giant CATL successfully conducted an IPO raising approximately $5 billion, demonstrating that investors in the region are once again ready to actively participate in IPOs.
In the US and Europe, the situation is also improving. American fintech "unicorn" Chime debuted on the stock market, with its shares rising by approximately 30% on the first day of trading. Soon after, design platform Figma held its IPO, attracting around $1.2 billion at a valuation of approximately $15–20 billion; its stock prices also rose confidently in the early days of trading. In the second half of 2025, other well-known startups, including payment service Stripe, prepared for their public market debut, having filed for listings. Even the crypto industry decided to take advantage of the revival: fintech company Circle successfully went public in the summer (its shares subsequently soared), while cryptocurrency exchange Bullish applied for a listing in the US with a target valuation of about $4 billion.
Now, potentially the largest IPO in history is on the horizon: Elon Musk's space company SpaceX plans to make its public debut in mid-2026, targeting up to $50 billion in capital at a valuation of around $1.5 trillion. This amount nearly doubles the previous world record (Saudi Aramco raised around $29 billion in 2019) and could make SpaceX's listing the largest ever. Leading Wall Street banks are already discussing participation in this mega deal. Additionally, there are rumours that AI giants such as Anthropic or even OpenAI itself are beginning preparations for potential IPOs in the future. The return of activity in the IPO market is crucial for the venture ecosystem: successful public exits enable funds to realise profitable exits and redirect freed-up capital into new projects, completing the startup investment cycle.
Diversification of Investments: Beyond Just AI
In 2026, venture investments are expanding to cover an increasingly broad range of sectors and are no longer limited to just AI. Following last year's slump, fintech is reviving: significant funding rounds are occurring not only in the USA but also in Europe and emerging markets, fueling the growth of promising fintech services. At the same time, interest in climate and "green" technologies is on the rise — projects in clean energy, agritech, and ecology are attracting record investments amid a global trend toward sustainable development. Investors are also regaining appetite for biotechnology and digital health: the emergence of new medical developments and online platforms is again attracting capital as valuations in this sector recover. Moreover, amidst increased attention to security, investors are increasingly supporting defence and aerospace startups, and the partial restoration of trust in the cryptocurrency market has allowed some blockchain startups to secure funding once more. As a result, venture capital is currently diversifying across sectors, with funds directed towards various niches:
- Fintech: revival of activity and major deals in financial technologies globally.
- Climate and Environmental Technologies: record investments in "green" energy, agritech, and other climate projects.
- Biotech and Health: new influx of investments in biotechnology, medtech, and digital health amid scientific breakthroughs.
- Defence Technologies: growth in funding for startups in security, defence, aerospace, and cybersecurity.
- Crypto Startups: renewed interest in blockchain projects and cryptocurrency-based fintech as trust strengthens.
The expansion of sector focus indicates that the venture market is striving to encompass a broader spectrum of innovations in 2026, with investors seeking new growth points beyond a single dominant theme.
Consolidation and M&A: Scaling Up Players
Overinflated valuations of startups and intense competition for markets are driving the industry towards consolidation. Major mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are once again coming to the forefront, reshaping the balance of power. For instance, tech giant Google has agreed to acquire Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion — a record sum for the Israeli tech industry. Such mega-deals exemplify the desire of tech giants to secure key technologies and talent.
Overall, the current activity in the acquisition and large strategic investment space indicates that the market is maturing. Mature startups are increasingly merging with one another or becoming targets for acquisition by corporations, while venture investors are finally getting the long-awaited opportunity for profitable exits. The wave of consolidation is reshaping the industry landscape, allowing rapidly growing companies to scale under the wings of larger players and enriching exits for funds.
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, Russia and neighbouring countries are witnessing a resurgence of startup activity in line with overall global trends. In particular, several new venture funds with a total capacity of around 10–12 billion rubles have been announced to support early-stage technology projects. Local startups are beginning to attract significant capital: for example, the Krasnodar-based food tech project Qummy raised around 440 million rubles at a valuation of approximately 2.4 billion rubles, while the company Motorica, a developer of modern rehabilitation aids, secured over 800 million rubles from a private investor (the largest deal in Russia in 2024). Moreover, at the end of 2025, Russia once again allowed foreign investors to invest in local startups, gradually restoring interest from overseas capital.
Although the volumes of venture capital investment in the region are still modest compared to the global market, they are gradually increasing. Some large companies are contemplating floating their technology subsidiaries on the stock market as market conditions improve — VK Tech recently publicly acknowledged the possibility of an IPO in the foreseeable future. New government support measures and corporate initiatives aim to give an additional impetus to the local startup environment and integrate it into global trends.
Cautious Optimism and Quality Growth
Overall, moderately optimistic sentiments prevail in the venture market today: successful IPOs and major deals indicate that the downturn is behind us, although investors remain selective and prefer startups with sustainable business models. Strong capital inflows into AI and other sectors instill confidence, but funds strive to diversify their investments and more strictly monitor risks to prevent the new upswing from overheating. Consequently, the industry is entering a new phase of development, focusing on quality, balanced growth.
