Global Startup and Venture Capital News for Tuesday, January 13, 2026: Continuation of the Venture Boom, Record Rounds in AI, IPO Resurgence, M&A Wave, and Global Market Expansion. An Overview for Venture Investors and Funds.
By mid-January 2026, the global venture capital market shows steady growth, leaving behind a period of decline. In the fourth quarter of 2025, over $100 billion was invested in tech startups, approximately 40% more than the previous year, marking the best quarterly result since 2021. The long “venture winter” of 2022–2023 has ended, and private capital is rapidly returning to the tech sector. Major funds are actively investing in promising companies, while investors are willing to take risks for high potential returns. The industry confidently enters a new growth phase, although caution in project assessment persists.
Venture activity is increasing across all regions of the world. The US leads, largely due to colossal investments in artificial intelligence. In the Middle East, investments in startups are sharply rising, thanks to generous funding from government mega-funds. Europe is witnessing a reshuffling of leaders: Germany has surpassed the UK in venture deal volume for the first time in a decade, strengthening the positions of continental tech hubs. In Asia, growth is shifting from China to India and Southeast Asia, compensating for the relative cooling of the Chinese market. Africa and Latin America are also making their mark, with the first “unicorns” emerging in these regions, underscoring the truly global nature of the ongoing venture boom. The startup ecosystems in Russia and the CIS countries strive to keep up: with government and corporate support, new funds, accelerators, and programs aimed at integrating local projects into global trends are launching in the region.
Below are key events and trends shaping the current agenda of the venture market as of January 13, 2026:
- The Return of Mega-funds and Major Investors. Leading venture players are forming unprecedentedly large funds and increasing investments, refilling the market with capital and reigniting the appetite for risk.
- Record Rounds in AI and a New Wave of Unicorns. Colossal investments in artificial intelligence are skyrocketing company valuations to unprecedented heights and generating a wave of “unicorn” startups.
- Revival of the IPO Market. Successful debuts of tech companies in the stock market and a rise in IPO applications indicate that the long-awaited “window of opportunity” for exits has reopened.
- Diversification of Venture Investments. Capital is being directed not only to AI but also to fintech, climate technologies, biotech, defense developments, and even crypto startups, broadening the market horizons.
- A Wave of Consolidation and M&A Deals. Major mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments are reshaping the industry landscape, providing investors with much-anticipated exits and accelerating company growth.
- Global Expansion of Venture Capital. The investment boom is reaching new regions – in addition to the US, Western Europe, and China, significant funding is being directed to startups in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
- Local Focus: Russia and the CIS. Despite restrictions, new funds and initiatives aimed at developing local startup ecosystems are emerging in the region, maintaining investor interest in local projects.
The Return of Mega-Funds and Major Investors: Big Money Back in the Market
The major investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture arena – a sign of renewed appetite for risk. The Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has announced the creation of its third Vision Fund worth approximately $40 billion, focused on advanced technologies (primarily artificial intelligence and robotics). Sovereign funds from Gulf countries are also becoming active, pouring billions into tech projects and launching large-scale startup sector development programs – resulting in the formation of local tech hubs in the Middle East. At the same time, dozens of new venture funds are being established worldwide, attracting significant institutional capital for investments in high-tech sectors.
Recognized firms from Silicon Valley are also strengthening their presence. In the US, venture funds have accumulated unprecedented reserves of uninvested capital (“dry powder”) – hundreds of billions of dollars are ready to be deployed as confidence in the market grows. Some prominent VC firms that had previously slowed their activities are returning with new mega-rounds. For instance, Tiger Global formed a new $2.2 billion fund after a pause and promised a more selective, “modest” investment approach. American giant Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) raised over $15 billion across five new funds – a record for the company, equal to about 18% of all venture investments in the US for 2025. Meanwhile, a16z’s total assets exceeded $90 billion. The massive influx of “big money” has noticeably invigorated the ecosystem: the market is again saturated with liquidity, competition for the best deals is intensifying, and the industry is gaining the much-needed confidence in future capital inflows.
Record Investments in AI and a New Wave of Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the current venture boom, setting new records in funding volume. Investors are eager to secure their place among AI market leaders, directing colossal resources to the most promising startups. In recent months, several AI companies have attracted unprecedentedly large funding rounds. For example, OpenAI secured a record private round of about $40 billion (the largest in venture history), infrastructure developer Anthropic received ~$13 billion in investments, and Elon Musk's xAI project attracted around $10 billion. Such mega-rounds, often accompanied by multiple oversubscriptions from eager investors, confirm the excitement surrounding AI companies.
Venture capital is directed not only to AI-based applications but also to the critical infrastructure required for them. Investors are willing to fund even the “shovels and picks” of the new digital era – from specialized chip production and cloud platforms to energy consumption optimization tools in data centers. Analysts estimate that total investments in AI startups for 2025 exceeded $150 billion. The current investment boom is generating a wave of new “unicorns” – startups valued over $1 billion. Although experts caution about the risks of overheating, investors' appetite for companies in the field of artificial intelligence remains strong.
IPO Market Awakens: “Window of Opportunity” for Exits is Open
The global market for initial public offerings (IPOs) is experiencing a long-awaited revival after a prolonged pause in recent years. Successful debuts of several major tech companies in 2025 have shown that the downturn period is behind us. For instance, American fintech “unicorn” Chime had one of the year's most notable IPOs: its stock surged more than 30% on the first day of trading, bolstering investor confidence in new offerings. The Asian region is leading the listing wave – in Hong Kong, several large startups have gone public in recent weeks, collectively raising billions of dollars. This includes Chinese battery manufacturer CATL, which sold shares worth approximately $5.2 billion, confirming that investors are once again ready to actively participate in IPOs in eastern markets. Following Asian companies, other well-known “unicorns” are also preparing to go public: discussions of a possible IPO for payment service Stripe were held in the second half of 2025, and debuts of AI leaders (including OpenAI and Anthropic) and major fintech companies are expected in 2026.
The revival of activity in the IPO market is crucial for the venture ecosystem. Successful stock market debuts once again provide funds with opportunities to profitably exit investments, freeing up capital for new projects. The number of listing applications has substantially increased, and startups that have long postponed public offerings are eager to seize the newly opened “window.” It is expected that new major placements will be seen in 2026. The continued functioning of the “IPO window” instills optimism in the industry, although investors still carefully evaluate the fundamental metrics of companies going public.
Diversification of Venture Investments: Fintech, Climate, Biotech, and More
Venture investments are no longer concentrated exclusively in artificial intelligence – capital is actively directed across a wide array of sectors, making the market more balanced. Signs of an upturn are evident in fintech: financial technologies are once again attracting significant capital thanks to adaptation to new regulatory conditions and the integration of AI (for instance, in payment services and neobanks). Interest in climate projects continues to grow: “green” technologies are receiving increasing support amid the global push for decarbonization – investors are funding innovations in renewable energy, emissions reduction, and sustainable infrastructure.
- Fintech: Financial services and platforms are regaining investor attention, also due to the integration of AI in banking and payments.
- Climate Projects: “Green” technologies are receiving record funding thanks to the global trend of sustainable development (renewable energy, carbon footprint reduction, eco-friendly agri-tech).
- Biotech and Health: Biotech is back in focus due to breakthroughs in medicine (new vaccines, gene therapy) and the application of AI in pharmaceuticals, attracting fresh rounds of investments.
- Defense and Aerospace Developments: Geopolitical factors are stimulating investment growth in military technologies, cyber security, space projects, and dual-use robotics – from both governments and private funds.
- Crypto Startups: Despite volatility, the cryptocurrency and blockchain sectors are receiving a new wave of investments, especially in infrastructure solutions and stablecoins (for example, the stablecoin platform Rain raised $250 million in a Series C round).
The expansion of sectoral focus makes the venture market more resilient and diverse. Diversification of directions reduces the risks of overheating in any one segment and creates conditions for better quality, balanced growth of the startup ecosystem in the long term. Investors are gaining more opportunities to find promising projects in various fields – from finance and energy to medicine and defense – thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of investments.
A Wave of Consolidation and M&A: Consolidation of Players
Against the backdrop of the overall industry upswing, consolidation has intensified: the number of large mergers and acquisitions of startups surged in 2025, reaching a peak in recent years. Tech giants and financial corporations are once again actively acquiring promising young companies in a bid to strengthen their positions in strategic niches. The scale of deals is impressive: for instance, Google agreed to acquire cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion – one of the largest purchases in the history of the tech sector. In the crypto finance industry, a landmark deal occurred: South Korean exchange Upbit (operator Dunamu) was acquired by internet giant Naver for about $10 billion, marking the largest fintech exit in the region. Also, at the end of 2025, Meta announced a strategic purchase of a 49% stake in American AI startup Scale AI for ~$15 billion, aiming to gain access to key technologies and talent in the field of artificial intelligence.
Consolidation is affecting a range of segments – from fintech and healthcare to AI. Major players are acquiring startups to accelerate innovation and expand product lines. For venture investors, the wave of M&A signifies much-anticipated exits (profits are realized through company sales, not just IPOs). For startups, integration into corporations opens access to extensive resources, global customer bases, and infrastructure, accelerating their development. The growing number of mergers and acquisitions indicates the maturity of specific market segments: the most successful companies are being integrated into larger structures, while investors gain an additional means of capital return alongside public offerings. Although some deals are driven by forced measures (startups seeking “rescue” through sale amid challenges with further independent growth), the overall trend towards consolidation adds dynamism to the venture market and creates new opportunities for all participants.
Global Expansion: New Centers of Venture Growth
The venture boom in recent months has truly gained global scale, spreading far beyond traditional tech centers. Now, countries outside the US account for more than half of global venture investments – new growth points are emerging. The Middle East is rapidly transforming into a significant investment hub: funds from Gulf states are investing billions in creating local tech parks and developing startup ecosystems. India and Southeast Asia are breaking records in venture deal volumes, annually producing new “unicorns” and attracting global investors. The tech scenes in Africa and Latin America are also actively developing – these regions have already seen startups valued over $1 billion, marking them as new players on the world stage. Even in Europe, continental efforts are intensifying: national and corporate funds (for instance, Bpifrance in France, High-Tech Gründerfonds in Germany) are pouring tens of billions of euros into tech startups, aiming to nurture their own tech champions and reduce dependence on foreign capital.
Thus, venture capital has become more geographically distributed than ever. Promising projects can attract funding regardless of their country of origin if they demonstrate scaling potential. For investors, this opens new horizons: the search for high-income opportunities is now conducted worldwide, and risks are diversified across different regions. The global expansion of the venture market fosters talent influx and knowledge exchange – technological ecosystems in different countries are becoming increasingly interconnected, enhancing the planet's innovative potential. Heightened competition for promising startups at a global level ultimately stimulates project quality and creates more balanced conditions for the growth of new companies.
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, local activity in the startup sphere is gradually reviving in Russia and neighboring countries. Although the overall volume of venture investments in Russia has decreased in recent years, private investors and funds remain cautiously optimistic. In 2025, new funds with a total volume of tens of billions of rubles aimed at financing early-stage tech projects emerged in the region. Major corporations are also entering the process, launching their own accelerators and venture divisions, while government programs provide grants and investments for startups. For example, in Moscow, about 1 billion rubles were raised for local IT projects as part of one initiative – a significant signal of market support.
There is a noticeable shift in focus towards more mature and resilient companies. Venture investors in Russia and the CIS are favoring startups with proven revenue and viable business models – those capable of growing even amid limited new capital inflow. The easing of several barriers has opened up opportunities for investments from friendly countries, partially compensating for the exit of Western capital. Some large technology companies in the region are considering going public: discussions regarding IPOs of certain IT subsidiaries of major holdings are underway, which could breathe additional life into the local market as conditions improve. Gradually, a new local venture ecosystem is forming, relying on internal resources and regional players. The emergence of the first significant deals and new funds instills cautious optimism: even amidst limited connectivity with global financial flows, Russian and neighboring markets are laying the groundwork for future innovation growth.
Priority of Efficiency and Forecast: Discipline in Focus for 2026
By the end of 2025, the global startup market demonstrated a vigorous recovery. In North America, total investments reached a record ~$280 billion (46% more than the previous year), with about 60% of this amount directed towards AI companies. Similar trends are observed in other regions. The influx of capital is accompanied by larger deals: the total number of rounds decreased by ~15%, but the share of mega-rounds increased significantly. Late-stage financing saw particularly rapid growth – the volume of investments in late-stage rounds increased by approximately 75%, reaching around $191 billion for the year.
- North America: ~$280 billion in investments in 2025 – the highest figure in the past four years, primarily due to deals in the AI sector.
- Share of AI: More than half of venture capital was directed towards companies implementing artificial intelligence in their products.
- Late-stage Boom: Funding for large late-stage rounds grew by ~75%, reaching about $191 billion, reflecting a shift in investor focus towards more mature projects.
- Focus on Sustainability: Funds are placing increased emphasis on capital efficiency and speed of reaching profitability when selecting projects.
Experts predict that in 2026, interest in infrastructure technologies and the AI sector will remain high, and the market will continue to attract large rounds. However, even amid overall optimism, a startup's success in 2026 will depend on prudent management and strong business fundamentals. Investors demand discipline from companies, frugal spending of raised funds, and clear execution of growth strategies. Thus, the new phase of the venture upturn combines lessons from previous years: to succeed in the abundance of opportunities, startups must maintain a focus on quality, efficiency, and sustainable development.
