Startup and Venture Investment News for Thursday, January 15, 2026: Record AI Rounds, the Return of Mega Funds, a Resurgence in IPOs, and Key Trends in the Global Venture Market.
- Return of Mega Funds: Leading venture firms and investors are actively forming record funds and increasing capital inflows into new projects.
- Record Investments in AI: Startups in the field of artificial intelligence raised around $150 billion in 2025, leading to the emergence of a new wave of "unicorns."
- Revival of IPOs and M&A: The IPO market is once again gaining momentum, while the number of mergers and acquisitions is increasing, opening additional exit opportunities for investors.
- Diversification Across Industries: Capital is being increasingly distributed: aside from AI, there has been a significant rise in interest in fintech, green technologies, biotechnology, and defense startups.
- Global Boom: The U.S. continues to attract the lion's share of venture investments (~70% in 2025), but new technology parks are actively developing in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
- Russia and the CIS: The domestic venture market is undergoing transformation: investment in Russian startups decreased by approximately 10% in 2025, yet new funds and technology support programs are being launched.
Return of Mega Funds: Big Money Back in the Market
After a two-year downturn, the market is once again attracting significant inflows: leading venture firms worldwide are forming record funds. For instance, the American company Andreessen Horowitz raised over $15 billion across five new funds — the largest round in the firm's history. This accounts for nearly 18% of all venture investments in the U.S. for 2025. Similar trends can be observed globally: funds are accumulating hundreds of billions in "dry powder," ready to be invested. Sovereign and private investment funds from the Middle East have also become active again, investing billions into the development of the tech sector and creating regional tech parks.
AI Breakthrough: Record Investments and New Unicorns
Startups in the field of artificial intelligence continue to be a capital magnet. Analysts estimate that investment in AI companies reached a historic $150 billion in 2025, significantly exceeding previous records. Mega rounds have elevated the valuations of leading players to unprecedented heights. Major deals included rounds for OpenAI (~$40–41 billion) and Anthropic (~$13 billion), further confirming the buzz around AI. Projects like xAI and Scale AI have also attracted tens of billions. A significant portion of funds is concentrated in the hands of selected companies, raising concerns among analysts about bubble risks in the AI sector. Nevertheless, the current investment boom is spawning many new "unicorns" (startups valued over $1 billion) and stimulating the development of high-tech infrastructure, such as data centers and specialized AI chips.
Revival of the IPO Market: A Window of Opportunities for Exits
Stock exchanges are once again attracting attention — several large tech companies have successfully completed IPOs, indicating a resurgence in investor interest in public offerings. In Asia (primarily in Hong Kong), there have been large-scale listings of major startups, while in the U.S., known "unicorns" are preparing for their market debuts. The revival of the IPO market is crucial for the venture capital ecosystem: successful public exits allow funds to lock in profits and reinvest them in new projects. Simultaneously, M&A activity is increasing: the number of agreements for the acquisition of startups surged in 2025, providing startups with alternative paths for scale and exits for investors. Notably, in the Middle East, the volume of M&A deals grew by 41%, reflecting an overall shift in the industry towards consolidation.
Diversification of Investments: Not Just AI
Venture capital is increasingly being distributed across industries. Fintech remains one of the most active sectors: for instance, in the Middle East and North Africa, fintech accounted for a record $1.15 billion in investments, the largest share among deals in the region. Additionally, there is growing attention to green technologies — projects in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable development — as well as to biotechnology and pharmaceuticals after a period of stagnation in these sectors. Defense and cybersecurity technologies are also receiving more support amid global instability. This diversification of investments makes the entire industry more balanced and reduces market dependence on a single trend.
Consolidation and M&A: The Market is Structuring
Corporate acquisitions and strategic investments are intensifying. Large technology and financial companies are acquiring promising startups to expand their portfolios of innovations. In 2025, major M&A deals activated, providing early investors with exit routes alongside IPOs. The growth in M&A activity is noticeable across all regions: as mentioned, the number of such deals in the Middle East rose by over 40%. Shares are being purchased to accelerate the development of startups and consolidate technologies under unified management, which speeds up the creation of strong players in the industry.
Global Distribution: New Regions and Leaders
Despite the U.S. leading, the venture boom is increasingly global. According to CB Insights, American startups attracted around $327.8 billion in 2025 (about 70% of all capital globally), but activity is also rising in other parts of the world. European companies received approximately $68 billion (18% of the market), with Germany surpassing the UK in deal volume for the first time. In Asia, investments are shifting from China to India and Southeast Asia, where new tech ecosystems are forming. In the Middle East, the volume of investments reached a record $3.8 billion (a growth of 74%), and the first local "unicorns" have emerged in Africa and Latin America, indicating the genuinely global nature of the current startup boom. Investors are actively seeking innovations around the world, from developed markets to emerging regions.
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Changes
In Russia and neighboring countries, the startup market continues to transform under the influence of internal and external factors. According to "Kommersant," the volume of deals in the Russian venture sector decreased by approximately 10% in 2025 (to 7.2 billion rubles), and the number of deals fell by a third, indicating a "deep contraction" of the market. Nevertheless, the government and large corporations do not leave innovative projects without support: new state and corporate funds are being launched, accelerators are opening, grant programs, and partnership initiatives are being established. All this is aimed at creating an "autonomous" development model and integrating Russian startups into global technology trends, even under the constraints of the international environment.
