Key Startup and Venture Capital News for Sunday, 25 January 2026: Record AI Rounds, New Venture Funds, IPOs, and Global Investment Trends.
As we enter 2026, the global venture capital market continues its confident recovery following the downturn of previous years. In 2025, the volume of venture investments surged sharply, marking a return of private equity to the startup sphere. Major funds and corporations have resumed substantial investments, launched new venture programmes, and governments around the world are enhancing support for innovative businesses. Last year was the most successful since 2021 in terms of overall venture investment volume, driven significantly by a series of colossal funding rounds in the artificial intelligence sector.
Venture activity is being observed across all regions. The United States maintains its leadership, particularly in the AI segment, the Middle East has multiplied its investments in tech startups, and in Asia, the downturn in China is being offset by rapid growth in investments in India and Southeast Asia. Even Africa and Latin America are showing capital inflow and the development of startup ecosystems. Overall, a new global venture boom is taking shape, although investors remain selective and cautious in their deal-making.
Below are the key events and trends shaping the venture market agenda for 25 January 2026:
- The Return of Mega Funds and Large Investors. Leading players are forming record venture funds and ramping up investments, once again flooding the market with capital.
- Record AI Mega Rounds and New 'Unicorns.' Unprecedented volumes of investment are driving startup valuations to unseen heights, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence.
- Revival of the IPO Market. Successful public offerings by technology companies and new filings confirm that the long-awaited "window" for exits remains open.
- Sectoral Focus Diversification. Venture capital is being directed not only into AI but also into fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defence technologies, and other promising sectors.
- A Wave of Consolidation and M&A Deals. Major mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments are reshaping the industry's landscape.
- Local Focus: Russia and the CIS. Despite challenges, new funds and initiatives are emerging in the region to develop local startup ecosystems, increasing investor interest in local projects.
The Return of Mega Funds: Big Money Back on the Market
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture arena, signalling a new rise in risk appetite. The Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has launched Vision Fund III, a fund of approximately $40 billion, focusing on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics. The American fund Andreessen Horowitz has raised a record $15 billion for new funds aimed at priority technology sectors. Sovereign funds from Middle Eastern countries have also ramped up their activity, injecting billions of dollars into tech projects and launching state-backed mega projects to develop the startup sector, thereby creating their own tech hubs in the region. Concurrently, new venture funds are emerging globally, and funds in the US have accumulated unprecedented reserves of "dry powder" — hundreds of billions of dollars in uninvested capital ready for deployment.
The influx of "big money" intensifies competition for the best deals while bolstering confidence in continued capital inflows into the market.
Record Rounds and New 'Unicorns': Investment Boom in AI
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the venture upswing in 2025 and early 2026, setting new records for funding volumes. Investors are eager to back AI leaders, directing colossal funds into the most promising projects. For instance, Elon Musk's startup xAI raised around $30 billion in private investments (including a mega round of approximately $20 billion at the beginning of 2026), while OpenAI secured around $40 billion at a valuation of approximately $300 billion. These rounds were heavily oversubscribed, underscoring the excitement surrounding leading AI companies.
Notably, venture capital is not only flowing into AI-based applications but also into infrastructure solutions for them. This investment boom is leading to a wave of new "unicorns," although experts caution about the risks of overheating in this segment.
IPO Market Revives: 'Window of Opportunity' for Listings Remains Open
The global primary public offering (IPO) market has confidently revived after a prolonged lull and continues to gain momentum. In Asia, Hong Kong is supporting a new wave of IPOs: in recent weeks, several major tech companies have gone public, collectively raising multi-billion sums. This indicates that investors in the region are again eager to participate actively in offerings. The situation is improving in the US and Europe as well: the American fintech "unicorn" Chime successfully debuted on the stock market, and a long-awaited IPO from payment service Stripe took place at the end of 2025. In 2026, even larger market entries are on the horizon: leading AI startups and Elon Musk's space company SpaceX are preparing for public listings, which could become one of the largest in history. The window for IPOs remains open longer than many had anticipated, and the market as a whole is capable of absorbing a wave of new issuances.
The revival of IPO activity encompasses a broad range of companies and is of crucial importance for the venture ecosystem. Successful public exits allow funds to realise profitable exits and redirect the freed-up capital into new projects. Despite investor caution, the prolonged open window is encouraging more startups to contemplate going public as a realistic objective.
Investment Diversification: Fintech, Climate, and Biotech on the Rise
Following past years' slump, revitalisation is being observed across several sectors. Major rounds are returning to fintech (not only in the US but also in Europe and emerging markets), while the global sustainability trend is driving record investments in climate technology, green energy, and agri-tech. There is a renewed influx of capital into biotechnology, and in light of geopolitical challenges, interest in defence technologies (from drones and cybersecurity to dual-use robotics) is increasing with extensive governmental and large investor support. This broadening of sectoral focus is making the startup ecosystem more resilient, reducing the venture market’s reliance on a single dominant trend.
Consolidation and M&A Deals: Consolidation of Players
High company valuations and fierce competition for market share are pushing the startup ecosystem towards consolidation. Major mergers and acquisitions are once again taking centre stage, reshaping the dynamics within the industry. For example, Google is pursuing a record deal to acquire the Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz for $32 billion—one of the largest startup purchases on record. Such megadeals demonstrate that even industry leaders are willing to spend tens of billions to keep pace in the technology race.
Overall, the current activity in acquisitions and major venture deals reflects the industry's maturation. Mature startups are merging with each other or becoming targets for acquisition by corporations, while funds gain opportunities for long-awaited profitable exits. Consolidation enhances the efficiency of the ecosystem, enabling companies to combine resources for accelerated growth and global reach.
Russia and the CIS: Local Market Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, the venture market in Russia and the CIS continues to develop. New funds and corporate accelerators are emerging with the involvement of banks and major companies. Development institutions (such as the Skolkovo Foundation) are offering grants, tax incentives, and co-investment programmes, partially compensating for the outflow of Western capital. Local investors and funds are increasingly focused on the domestic market and partners from friendly countries in the Middle East and Asia, filling the void left by departing players.
A notable example is the Krasnodar-based food tech startup Qummy, which attracted around 440 million rubles in investments at a valuation of approximately 2.4 billion rubles and aims for an IPO in the coming years. Meanwhile, several major banks and investment firms are launching their venture funds (with volumes of around 10-12 billion rubles) to support technology projects. In 2025, authorities officially permitted the return of foreign capital from "friendly" countries into transactions with Russian startups, potentially opening doors for new investments. Although the absolute volumes of venture investments in the region are still modest, they are gradually increasing. Local investors are betting on projects in AI, import substitution, cybersecurity, and B2B services. The regional startup ecosystem is eager to take advantage of the global upturn to lay the foundation for future growth, even if that requires more time and internal support.
Conclusions: Moderated Optimism and Focus on Quality Growth
As we reach the beginning of 2026, sentiment within the venture industry remains cautiously optimistic. Successful IPOs and large funding rounds indicate that the bottom of the decline has been crossed and the market is once again expanding. However, investors remain vigilant and are favouring startups with robust business models and clear paths to profitability. The substantial influx of capital instills confidence in further growth, but funds are particularly focusing on diversification and risk management. The main priority is the quality of this growth: market participants are concentrating on the long-term sustainability of startups and the healthy return on investments, ensuring that the new upswing does not lead to overheating. Thus, the venture market is entering a new phase of development with tempered optimism, betting on a balanced approach and sustainable innovation.
