Global Startup and Venture Investment News as of 31 January 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Venture Fund Activity, AI Investments, and Key Tech Trends for Investors.
The beginning of 2026 demonstrates a continued upswing in the global startup and venture capital market. Following a surge in investments last year, venture funds and corporations are once again actively investing in promising companies. Major investors are forming record funds, and tech startups around the world are closing funding rounds in the hundreds of millions of dollars, despite a more selective approach to projects. Capital is particularly focused on areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, green and strategic technologies that could shape the future of industries and national security. Below is an overview of key news from the world of startups and venture investments as of 31 January 2026.
Venture Market on a Growth Wave Following a Successful 2025
The global venture market entered 2026 on an optimistic note. According to industry analysts, the volume of investments in startups significantly increased in 2025 compared to the previous downturn. For instance, in North America, startups attracted approximately $280 billion in venture capital over the year, nearly 46% more than the previous year. The primary driver of this growth has been the boom in projects within the artificial intelligence sector, which accounted for the lion's share of the funding raised. Venture investors worldwide are once again ready to invest in innovative companies, particularly in groundbreaking directions. The first weeks of 2026 confirm this trend: significant deals and the launch of new funds have been announced since the beginning of January, signalling a sustained positive dynamic in the venture market.
Andreessen Horowitz Raises Record Mega Fund
One of the most notable signals of investor confidence has been the unprecedented new fund from Silicon Valley firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The company announced it has raised over $15 billion for several new venture funds of various focuses – a record amount for a16z and among the largest in the history of the venture market. The funds are distributed across several ventures: approximately $6.75 billion is earmarked for late-stage growth investments, around $1.2 billion is directed to the specialised fund American Dynamism (focusing on startups in national security and defence), as well as separate funds of approximately $1.7 billion for investments in applied technologies and infrastructure projects, $700 million for biotech and healthcare, and other verticals. Andreessen Horowitz's leadership emphasises a strategic focus on technologies that enhance the United States’ technological leadership – ranging from artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency to defence, education, and biomedicine. Industry estimates suggest that a16z now manages around 18% of all venture investments made in the US over the past year. The emergence of this new mega fund during a period when 2025 was the quietest year for fundraising since 2017 indicates a return of trust: investors are willing to allocate record amounts to proven players in search of “the next big ideas” among startups.
AI Investment Boom Continues
The artificial intelligence sector remains a primary magnet for venture capital in 2026. Following last year’s excitement, interest in AI startups shows no signs of diminishing: in the initial weeks of the new year, super-large deals are being reported even at early stages. For instance, last week, startup lab Humans&, founded by a team of top researchers from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, raised approximately $480 million in seed funding – an unprecedented amount for such an early stage. Another example is Ricursive Intelligence, an ambitious advanced AI project, which announced a $300 million Series A round at an estimated valuation of about $4 billion. Projects led by well-known entrepreneurs are also attracting attention: the new startup Merge Labs, co-founded by OpenAI's Sam Altman, which is developing brain-computer interface technologies integrated with AI, reportedly secured around $252 million in initial funding. In total, according to Crunchbase, over 40% of all investments in seed and Series A stages in 2026 have already accounted for rounds amounting to $100 million or more – a previously rare occurrence, largely made possible by the race for AI. Venture investors continue to see artificial intelligence as a key growth area and are ready to compete for the most promising teams. The competition for talent and cutting-edge developments in AI remains high, and startups continue to receive sizeable checks to scale solutions in generative AI, voice and visual algorithms, business process automation, and other areas.
New Unicorns in Defence Technology and Artificial Intelligence
A series of major deals at the start of the year has added to the ranks of "unicorns" – private companies valued at over $1 billion. Several startups have reached this status through funding rounds:
- Deepgram (USA, voice AI) – raised $130 million in a Series C round at an approximate valuation of $1.3 billion, becoming a leader in the AI voice technology segment.
- Harmattan AI (France, AI-based defence systems) – secured around $200 million in a Series B round, raising the Paris-based startup's valuation to $1.4 billion. Harmattan AI has become a rare unicorn in the strategically important domain of defence technologies for Europe.
- Defense Unicorns (USA, secure software for government entities) – closed a Series B round of $136 million led by Bain Capital, reaching a valuation of over $1 billion. The company has justified its name, entering the unicorn club against the backdrop of rapidly growing revenues from contracts with the Pentagon.
The emergence of these new high-value players reflects the growing focus of venture capital on projects related to artificial intelligence and national security. In harmony with the trend set by funds like a16z's American Dynamism, investors are actively funding companies that are focused on both commercial AI products (such as voice assistants for businesses) and state-significant technologies (defence, cybersecurity). Moreover, the venture race is global: the formation of new unicorns involves not only Silicon Valley but also Europe, Asia, and other regions where technology companies with billion-dollar valuations are emerging.
Tech Giants Hunt for AI Startups
Not only venture funds but also major corporations are keen to strengthen their positions in the field of artificial intelligence. A notable example is Apple, which has made one of its largest deals in recent years by agreeing to acquire the Israeli AI startup Q.ai, specialising in AI-based audio technologies. According to insiders, the purchase price was around $1.6 billion, making this acquisition the second-largest in Apple’s history (after the acquisition of Beats). The Q.ai startup is developing machine learning systems for whisper speech recognition and sound enhancement in complex environments, and its team of approximately 100 specialists will join Apple. The deal underscores how fierce the competition has become among Big Tech for breakthrough AI developments: companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta are actively acquiring promising projects to avoid falling behind in the race for artificial intelligence technologies. For startups and their investors, such "exits" serve as validation of their high valuations: major strategic players are willing to pay billions for access to cutting-edge solutions and talent in the AI domain.
Multi-Million Funding Rounds in Biotech Signal Revival
The biotechnology sector is also keeping pace: in January, several biotech startups announced large funding rounds, signalling a renewed interest from investors in healthcare. The most notable deal was a $305 million Series F round for Massachusetts-based Parabilis Medicines (formerly known as FogPharma). The capital raised will allow Parabilis to advance its experimental cancer drug (the peptide zolucatetide) into crucial clinical trial phases, as well as to expand its platform technologies for peptide penetration into cells for the development of new medicines. Notably, Parabilis has secured venture funding six times, remaining a private company longer than normal for the industry. Such a large late-stage round from prominent investors (including public market funds) indicates high confidence in the prospects of its scientific developments.
Another notable case is California-based startup Soley Therapeutics, which raised about $200 million in a Series C round. The company is applying artificial intelligence and computational biology technologies to discover new cancer treatments and will direct the funds raised towards advancing two of its candidates into clinical trials. Records are also being set at early stages: very recently, the young biotech company AirNexis Therapeutics secured $200 million in seed funding (Series A) for the development of an innovative drug for lung diseases. Such a volume of investments at the Series A stage is a rarity, signalling high confidence in the project's developments: AirNexis has licensed a promising molecule from Chinese pharmaceutical company Haisco and plans to bring it to the global market for treating COPD (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Apart from these mega rounds, a series of more moderate deals has also been recorded: industry observers noted at least half a dozen biotech startups securing between $50 million and $100 million each over January. All of this points to a new revival in biotech following the difficult period of the past few years: venture funds are once again actively financing companies in the pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors, particularly when a startup has groundbreaking science or a market-ready product. Major "crossover" investors (funds operating in both private and public markets) are returning to biotech, paving the way for potential IPOs if market conditions permit.
New Specialized Venture Funds Emerging Worldwide
In addition to financing startups themselves, capital is actively pouring into the ecosystem through new venture funds, often focused on narrow niches or strategic themes. The startup industry is diversifying, as evidenced by the emergence of specialised funds in various regions in early 2026. Here are a few notable examples:
- All Aboard Alliance (Global) – a coalition of private venture firms (including Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures) announced the creation of a $300 million fund to invest in startups related to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Initial investments are planned to be made this year, reflecting the growing interest in climate tech.
- 2150 VC (Europe) – the London-Copenhagen venture fund 2150 closed its second fund of €210 million, raising total assets under management to €500 million. The funds will be directed towards supporting startups developing sustainable urban technology (urban climate solutions, "green" building and infrastructure projects).
- VZVC (USA) – a new venture firm founded by former a16z partner Vijay Pande is forming a debut fund estimated at $400 million for investments at the intersection of artificial intelligence and digital health. This example illustrates a trend where seasoned investors leave large funds for focus on rapidly growing niche areas.
- NUS Venture Fund (Asia) – the National University of Singapore launched a $120 million venture fund to support its own spin-off startups and university research. This public-private initiative aims to commercialise innovations from academic science and strengthen the local startup ecosystem.
In addition to the examples listed, corporate and regional development funds continue to emerge. Major corporations and governments are becoming increasingly active in the venture ecosystem by creating funds to support priority sectors – from climate technologies and biomedical science to defence and artificial intelligence. As a result, the venture capital landscape is becoming ever more diverse: alongside billion-dollar mega-funds, compact targeted funds coexist. For startups, this means more opportunities to secure funding globally, including in segments previously considered exotic for venture capital.
Expectations and Prospects: IPOs and Further Market Growth
Such an active start to the year is fostering cautious optimism among venture market players regarding forecasts for 2026. On one hand, record funding rounds and the emergence of new funds provide startups with access to capital. On the other, investors will be keeping a closer eye on the efficiency of their investments and the development of portfolio companies. A key indicator of sentiment may be the revival of companies going public. Following a period of quiet in previous years, with only a few notable tech IPOs taking place in 2025, a wave of unicorns is expected in 2026, ready to test the waters of the public market if market conditions improve.
Venture funds are already preparing potential candidates for IPOs. Rumours are circulating about plans for several major AI and fintech companies in Silicon Valley, as well as certain biotech firms that have managed to attract crossover investors at later stages, to go public. Among the most anticipated in the industry are potential IPOs for giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, or even the space company SpaceX – their listings could revitalise the market and attract public attention. The high valuations that startups have received in recent funding rounds imply expectations for imminent exits – either through sales to strategic investors or via public offerings.
Nevertheless, the volume of available "dry powder" – that is, uninvested capital in venture funds – remains significant. According to PitchBook estimates, impact investment funds alone currently control over $200 billion in unallocated capital, and the total global venture dry powder measures in the hundreds of billions of dollars. These capital reserves have the potential to sustain a high pace of innovation financing even amid shifting economic conditions, creating competition for the best deals.
Of course, certain risks remain: rising interest rates, geopolitical instability, and stock market volatility could temper investors' risk appetite. However, at present, the startup ecosystem is entering the new year with a robust buffer and measured optimism. Venture investors and company founders are hoping that 2026 will be a period of further growth – conditioned upon reasonable project valuations and a favourable macroeconomic climate.
