Fresh News on Startups and Venture Investments as of December 2, 2025: Key Rounds, M&A Deals, AI, FinTech, BioTech, and Climate Tech Trends. Global Analytics for Investors and Funds.
At the end of 2025, the global venture market is demonstrating confident growth. By the end of the third quarter, the total volume of investments exceeded $97 billion (an increase of +38% compared to last year), reaching a peak not seen since 2021. Venture deals are returning to substantial sizes: investors are once again willing to finance bold projects, especially in the field of artificial intelligence. Concurrently, the IPO market is reviving: startups are actively going public, reinvesting capital back into the ecosystem. Investments are diversifying across sectors—from FinTech and BioTech to Climate and Space Technologies.
- The return of mega funds and large investors.
- Record investments in AI and a new wave of unicorns.
- Revitalization of the IPO market and exit prospects.
- Diversification of sectors (FinTech, BioTech, Climate, Defense, etc.).
- Increased M&A activity and consolidation.
- Global expansion: venture growth in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
- Resurgence of interest in crypto and blockchain startups.
- Local trends: Russia and the CIS against the backdrop of global trends.
The Return of Mega Funds and Major Players
After a period of caution, the largest investors are returning to the tech market with new layers of capital. SoftBank has announced the launch of Vision Fund III with approximately $40 billion for projects in AI and robotics. Similarly, venture firm Andreessen Horowitz is forming a fund of around $10 billion (focusing on growth companies and AI infrastructure). Sequoia Capital is preparing its early-stage funds with a total volume of nearly $950 million for seed and Series A startups. Sovereign funds from the Gulf (Mubadala, PIF, etc.) are injecting billions into promising projects while major tech corporations are expanding their venture divisions.
- SoftBank (Vision Fund III) — approximately $40 billion for AI and robotics;
- Andreessen Horowitz — $10 billion fund (growth investments and AI infrastructure);
- Sequoia Capital — ~$750 million for Series A + $200 million for seed funds;
- Sovereign funds from the Gulf — multi-billion investments in technology;
- Corporations (Google, NVIDIA, Samsung) — actively expanding their venture portfolios.
Record Investments in Artificial Intelligence and a New Wave of Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector continues to set the pace, receiving unprecedented funding rounds. AI startups regularly attract hundreds of millions in investments. For instance, the American company Anysphere (the Cursor platform) secured $2.3 billion in a single round, with its valuation exceeding $29 billion. Lila Sciences (developing a "scientific superintelligence" for research) announced raising $350 million to advance AI systems. Additionally, substantial rounds have been reported for Sesame, Hippocratic AI, OpenEvidence, and other companies.
Among the largest deals, the following stand out:
- Anysphere (Cursor) — $2.3 billion (Series C);
- Lila Sciences — $350 million (Series A);
- Sesame (voice AI) — $250 million (Series B);
- Hippocratic AI — $126 million (Series C);
- OpenEvidence — $200 million (Series C).
Such investments are driving valuations of leading AI startups to record heights, spawning a new wave of unicorn companies.
Revitalization of the IPO Market and Exit Prospects
Following a lull, the tech IPO market is slowly coming back to life. In 2025, several major companies successfully conducted initial public offerings. For instance, the stablecoin issuer Circle launched shares with a market valuation of around $7 billion, while cryptocurrency exchange Bullish raised $1.1 billion during its IPO. Moreover, the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini (led by the Winklevoss twins) went public, attracting $425 million, showcasing investor interest in FinTech and blockchain. According to insiders, OpenAI is considering an IPO as early as 2026, potentially with a valuation of up to $1 trillion.
Diversification of Sectors: FinTech, BioTech, Climate, Defense, and More
Investors are gradually broadening their focus: alongside AI, there is growing interest in financial, biotechnology, and environmental startups. A revival is observed in the following sectors:
- FinTech (digital banks, payment solutions, BNPL, crypto payments);
- BioTech and HealthTech (biomedicine, genomics, AI platforms for research);
- Climate technologies and clean energy (green-tech, renewables);
- SpaceTech (space startups, satellite communication, scientific missions);
- Defense technologies (AI systems for security, autonomous drones, cybersecurity).
For example, the defense sector attracted record amounts: by the end of the year, total investments in defense tech exceeded $7.7 billion. Leading the US was Anduril with a round of $2.5 billion, while the European defense startup Helsing raised $694 million for weapons software. At the same time, in biotech, investor interest is piqued by AI platforms for drug development and genetic studies.
Consolidation and M&A Deals
There is a rising activity of consolidation in the venture market. Funds and startups are merging to strengthen their positions. For instance, two American funds—CerraCap Ventures and Impact Venture Capital—merged into a single platform, CerraCap Impact (CIVC), creating a global support network for startups. Moreover, tech companies are increasingly acquiring one another. In the first half of 2025, the number of "startup buys startup" deals rose by approximately 18% compared to the previous year. Significant transactions in the industry include OpenAI's acquisition of the startup Io (AI lamps for smart homes) for $6.5 billion. This enables companies to rapidly adopt new technologies and create conditions for significant investor exits.
Global Expansion: Asia, the Middle East, and Africa
Venture capitals are increasingly moving into new regions. In Asia, the market is growing by leaps and bounds: Chinese robotics startups are securing funding rounds in billions of yuan (for instance, Robot Era raised around ¥1 billion, ≈$140 million). Significant deals are being recorded in Southeast Asia and India: the Thai company Roojai raised $60 million (digital insurance), while Indian SquareYards raised $35 million (real estate, valuation around $900 million). In Singapore and the Philippines, deep tech startups received funding rounds in the tens of millions of dollars.
The Middle East is also witnessing notable investment events. The Saudi FinTech Erad secured a $125 million credit line, while the electronics recovery platform Revibe raised $17 million. The Saudi startup Mnzil (housing for builders) received $11.7 million in a Series A round from Founders Fund. Regional infrastructure projects attracted funding: Zinit (Dubai) — $8 million, Strataphy (SA) — $6 million, Buildroid AI — $2 million. These examples demonstrate that investors are financing not only consumer services but also infrastructure solutions (housing, energy, logistics, etc.).
Resurgence of Interest in Crypto Startups
The blockchain sector, after a prolonged slump, is once again attracting investor attention. Cryptocurrencies are showing growth: Bitcoin has surpassed the $100,000 mark, and a US approval for an Ethereum ETF is anticipated. This has fueled venture interest: Web3, DeFi, and FinTech blockchain companies are receiving new rounds at high valuations. Successful IPOs by crypto companies (Circle, Bullish, Gemini) have revived trust in the industry. Experts believe the influx of funds into crypto projects will continue; however, startups will operate under close scrutiny from regulators.
A Local Perspective: Russia and CIS
The Russian startup market remains small and conservative. According to ComNews, in the first nine months of 2025, technology companies in Russia raised around $125 million (an increase of +30% compared to last year). The main sectors of investment are IndustrialTech, Healthcare, and FinTech. AI startups accounted for the leading share of investments (over $60 million, 32 deals). In the CIS (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus), early rounds of $1–5 million predominate with participation from government funds. Government structures are attempting to offset the outflow: for instance, "Rusnano" plans to invest around 2.3 billion rubles in domestic startups by the end of 2025. Nevertheless, large foreign investors are still nearly absent from the region.
