Global Startup and Venture Capital News for Thursday, 8 January 2026: Record Rounds in AI, the Return of Mega Funds, Tech Company IPOs, and Key Venture Market Trends.
As of early January 2026, the global venture market continues its steady recovery following the previous downturn. Investors worldwide are once again actively funding technology startups, with record deals being made and IPO plans coming to the forefront. Major players are returning to the market with large-scale investments, while governments are launching new innovation support programmes. As a result, venture capital is significantly increasing its presence in the startup ecosystem around the globe.
Venture activity is on the rise across all major markets. The USA maintains its leadership (particularly in the artificial intelligence sector), while investment volumes in the Middle East have doubled year-on-year. Europe has also shown growth, with the venture funding volume reaching approximately $78 billion in 2025 (6.5% higher than the previous year), and Germany has for the first time outpaced the UK in the number of deals. India, Southeast Asia, and Gulf countries are also attracting record capital volumes amid a slowdown in China. The startup ecosystems in Russia and the CIS are striving to keep pace, despite external limitations. A global venture boom is forming anew, although investors are still acting selectively and cautiously.
Below are key events and trends shaping the venture market agenda as of 8 January 2026:
- The return of mega funds and large investors. Leading venture capital firms are raising unprecedentedly large funds and ramping up investments, flooding the market with capital and igniting a risk appetite.
- Record investment rounds in AI and a new wave of "unicorns". Unusually large deals are pushing startup valuations to unprecedented heights, particularly in the artificial intelligence segment.
- A revival of the IPO market and new public offerings. Successful technology company IPOs and announcements of upcoming listings confirm the opening of the long-awaited "window" for exits.
- Sectoral focus diversification. Venture capital is investing not only in AI but also in fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defense developments, and even crypto startups.
- A wave of consolidation and M&A deals. Major mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments are reshaping the industry landscape, creating opportunities for exits and accelerated growth.
- A local focus: Russia and CIS. New funds and initiatives are being launched in the region to develop local startup ecosystems, attracting investors' attention.
The Return of Mega Funds: Big Money Back in the Market
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture stage, signalling a renewed appetite for risk. The Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, for instance, has announced the Vision Fund III with a volume of around $40 billion, focused on cutting-edge technologies (particularly artificial intelligence and robotics). Sovereign funds from Gulf countries have also become more active, pouring billions into technology projects and developing state mega-programmes for the startup sector, thus creating their own tech hubs in the Middle East. Simultaneously, a multitude of new venture funds is being established globally, attracting significant institutional capital for investment in high-tech sectors.
Renowned firms from Silicon Valley are also ramping up their activities. Large funds have accumulated record amounts of uninvested capital ("dry powder")—hundreds of billions of dollars ready to be deployed as market confidence returns. The influx of "big money" fills the startup market with liquidity, providing resources for new rounds and supporting the valuations of promising companies. The return of mega funds and large institutional investors not only heightens competition for the most lucrative deals but also instills confidence in the industry regarding future capital inflows.
Record Investments in AI and a New Wave of "Unicorns"
The AI startup sector remains the main driver of the current venture rise and is demonstrating record funding volumes. In 2025, artificial intelligence startups secured approximately $150 billion in venture capital—an unprecedented figure reflecting investors' eagerness to position themselves among AI leaders. Colossal funds are flowing into the most promising projects: for example, OpenAI received additional investments of around $8 billion at an estimated valuation of about $300 billion, while Elon Musk's startup xAI reportedly attracted about $10 billion. Both rounds have generated significant buzz and were substantially oversubscribed, highlighting the high demand for AI companies.
Notably, venture investments are also directed not only towards end-AI applications but also towards the infrastructure supporting them. Platforms for data storage and processing for AI-related tasks are also receiving multi-billion dollar funding—as the market is poised to support even the "shovels and picks" necessary for the new artificial intelligence ecosystem. The current investment boom has already spawned a wave of new "unicorns" (startups with valuations over $1 billion). Although experts warn of overheating risks in the AI sector, investors' appetite for AI startups remains strong, and 2026 begins with sustained interest in artificial intelligence-based projects.
The IPO Market Revives: A Window of Opportunity for Exits
The global market for initial public offerings (IPOs) is emerging from a period of quiet and gaining momentum. In Asia, Hong Kong has spearheaded a new wave of IPOs: in recent months, several large technology companies have gone public, collectively raising billions. For instance, the Chinese battery giant CATL successfully conducted a secondary share offering of around $5 billion—demonstrating that investors in the region are once again keen to actively participate in IPOs.
The situation is also improving in the USA and Europe: the American fintech unicorn Chime recently debuted on the stock exchange, with its shares rising approximately 30% on the first day of trading. Shortly after, the design platform Figma went public, attracting around $1.2 billion at an estimated valuation of about $15-20 billion; its shares also confidently increased in value during the initial days of trading. By the end of 2025 and early 2026, several other well-known startups, including the payment service Stripe and a number of high-valued technology companies, are preparing for public offerings. Even the crypto industry is trying to capitalise on the revival: the fintech company Circle successfully conducted an IPO last summer (after which its shares skyrocketed), and the cryptocurrency exchange Bullish has submitted a listing application in the US with a target valuation of about $4 billion.
The return of activity in the IPO market is crucial for the venture ecosystem: successful public exits allow funds to realise profitable exits and redirect freed capital to new projects. Analysts note that for the first time in recent years, startups again have a genuine opportunity to go public, reinforcing investor confidence and encouraging new contenders to prepare for IPOs.
Investment Diversification: Not Only AI
In 2025, venture capital investments encompassed a much broader range of industries and are no longer confined to artificial intelligence alone. Following last year's downturn, fintech is experiencing a resurgence: significant funding rounds are occurring not only in the US but also in Europe and emerging markets, supporting the growth of promising financial services. Concurrently, interest in climate technologies and "green" energy is growing—these sectors are attracting record investments in line with the global trend towards sustainable development. For example, the American startup Radiant secured about $300 million for the development of compact nuclear reactors with a capacity of 1 MW, capable of powering homes and data centres, reflecting the rising interest in energy innovations.
There is also a revival of appetite for biotechnology: the emergence of new promising drugs and medtech platforms is once again attracting capital as the industry rebounds from a period of declining valuations. Furthermore, amid a heightened focus on safety, investors are starting to support defence technology projects, while a partial recovery of trust in the cryptocurrency market has allowed some blockchain startups to obtain funding again. Consequently, the expansion of sectoral focus is making the entire startup scene more resilient and decreasing the risk of overheating specific segments.
Consolidation and M&A Deals: Expanding Player Size
High startup valuations and fierce competition are pushing the industry towards consolidation. Major mergers and acquisitions are once again taking centre stage, altering the market dynamics. For instance, Google has agreed to acquire the Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion—a record sum for the Israeli tech sector. In December, the American company ServiceNow reached an agreement to purchase the Israeli cyber startup Armis for $7.75 billion in cash. Such mega-deals demonstrate the desire of tech giants to acquire key technologies and talent, as well as to take advantage of the decline in valuations of some startups.
Overall, the current activity in mergers and acquisitions, along with significant venture deals, indicates a maturation of the market. Mature startups are merging with one another or becoming targets for acquisition by corporations, and venture investors finally have the chance for much-anticipated profitable exits. After several years of stagnation, the wave of M&A deals is reinvigorating the market and enabling the most promising companies to accelerate their growth under the wings of larger players.
Russia and CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external limitations, gradual revitalisation of startup activity is being observed in Russia and neighbouring countries. In particular, announcements about the launch of several new venture funds with a volume of approximately 10-15 billion rubles have been made, aimed at supporting early-stage technology projects. Local startups are beginning to attract significant capital: for instance, the Krasnodar-based foodtech project Qummy secured about 440 million rubles at a valuation of approximately 2.4 billion rubles, while towards the end of 2025, the Russian platform VeAi, developing corporate AI solutions, attracted 400 million rubles in investments from local investors. Additionally, foreign investors have been allowed to invest in local projects again, gradually rekindling overseas capital interest in the country.
Although the volume of venture investments in the region is still modest compared to global figures (estimated at less than $0.2 billion for the Russian VC market in 2025), they are showing slight growth. Some large companies are contemplating the IPO of their technology divisions as market conditions improve— for instance, VK Tech management has publicly acknowledged the possibility of an IPO in the foreseeable future. New state support measures and corporate initiatives are designed to provide additional impetus to the local startup ecosystem and to integrate it into global trends.
Cautious Optimism and Quality Growth
As of early 2026, the venture market exhibits moderately optimistic sentiment. Successful IPOs and large transactions provide grounds to believe that the downturn period is behind us, although investors continue to approach financing selectively, favouring startups with sustainable business models. Significant capital inflows into AI and other sectors instil confidence, but funds are striving to diversify investments and tighten risk controls to ensure that the new upturn does not turn into overheating. Thus, the industry is entering a new phase of development with a focus on quality, balanced growth, which should ensure its long-term resilience.
