Current News on Startups and Venture Investments as of Friday, January 9, 2026: Record AI Rounds, Mega Fund Activity, Rise of Unicorns, and IPO Market Revival.
The global startup and venture capital market kicks off 2026 on a wave of renewed activity. Major funds are once again ramping up capital, investments are hitting records in the artificial intelligence sector, and the window for initial public offerings (IPOs) is beginning to open after a period of stagnation in recent years. Below are the latest news regarding venture investments and startups as of Friday, January 9, 2026, articulated in a business style that is comprehensible to international investors and funds.
Venture Mega Funds Make a Comeback
Following a slowdown last year, leading venture players are once again attracting record capital, intensifying market concentration. Despite a significant drop in the number of new funds in 2025—reaching a decade-low—several mega funds significantly boosted the overall industry metrics. Investors are concentrating resources with proven teams, banking on their access to the most promising deals. Among the largest new funds:
- Lightspeed Venture Partners—raised approximately $9 billion across six new funds, concluding 2025 with the largest capital raise in the market. Lightspeed solidified its status as a mega fund with a focus on large investments in AI.
- Dragoneer Investment Group—established a new $4.3 billion fund, continuing its strategy of significant investments in late-stage companies, including over $3 billion invested in OpenAI.
- Founders Fund—closed a $4.5 billion growth fund in 2025, along with several early funds focused on tech unicorns.
- Lux Capital—announced a $1.5 billion fund closure at the beginning of 2026, the largest in the history of this 25-year-old firm specializing in science-centric startups (defense, space, biotech).
Additionally, large funds such as Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst previously raised $7–8 billion each (in 2024), while Thrive Capital aims for $6–8 billion. Although the total number of new venture funds has decreased, the top 10 players accounted for around half of all funds raised, illustrating a trend where capital is flowing towards “mega funds,” leaving fewer opportunities for smaller teams. For venture investors, this indicates a growing role of large institutional LPs and challenges in raising capital for new funds without a strong name.
Record Investment Rounds in AI
Startups working with artificial intelligence continue to attract unprecedented sums. The year 2025 will be remembered for a surge in mega rounds within the AI sector—with 15 companies raising $2 billion or more, collectively exceeding $100 billion in funding according to industry analysts. The largest deals set historical records in the venture market:
- OpenAI—received $40 billion in funding in March 2025 (with SoftBank as the lead investor). This is the largest venture financing in history, showcasing investors' immense confidence in generative AI platforms.
- xAI—Elon Musk's AI startup secured $20 billion in its Series E round by early 2026, surpassing an initially planned $15 billion. The round was backed by major US and Qatari funds, highlighting the global race for AI leadership.
- Scale AI—raised $14.3 billion from Meta in the summer of 2025. The investment was accompanied by a strategic partnership: Scale AI's team partially transitioned to Meta, merging efforts to develop AI models. The deal valued the startup at $29 billion.
- Anthropic—attracted $13 billion in September 2025 (round F) at an estimated valuation of approximately $183 billion. Investors included Iconiq Capital, Fidelity, Lightspeed, and others. Such a high valuation reflects the hype surrounding advanced large language model developers.
- Project Prometheus—a new startup led by Jeff Bezos, launched at the end of 2025 with $6.2 billion in funding. The company aims to apply AI to solve physical problems, and such generous initial financing indicates investors' readiness to invest in ambitious long-term projects.
Other significant rounds drew market attention, including xAI (Musk's startup has raised over $22 billion since its inception), Databricks ($4 billion in December 2025 at a valuation of $134 billion amidst explosive revenue growth from its AI data platform), and various other deals. Even relatively young projects are raising substantial amounts: for example, startup Thinking Machines Lab, founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, secured $2 billion in seed funding with a valuation of $10 billion—setting a record seed round in the market. The dominance of AI is evident: the overwhelming majority of mega deals are concentrated in this sector. Venture investors universally agree that several standout AI companies could deliver disproportionately high returns, resulting in funding being concentrated around them. However, experts caution that not every AI startup from the booming sector will meet expectations, prompting investors to carefully select "priceless" teams among numerous similar players.
Diversification: Defense, Energy, and Crypto
It’s not just artificial intelligence that can attract big dollars—2025 saw significant deals in other segments of the tech market. The defense technology and energy sectors, as well as separate projects in crypto and fintech industries, stood out prominently:
- Defense Technologies. The geopolitical landscape has spurred unprecedented investments in defense tech. American startup Anduril Industries raised $2.5 billion in round G (June 2025), doubling its valuation to over $30 billion. According to Forbes, at least 10 new unicorns emerged in the defense sector in 2025, with total venture investments in defense technologies exceeding $48 billion. Funds that invested in military technologies long before the trend (such as Lux Capital) are now reaping the benefits, as investors observe a steady government demand for innovations in security.
- Energy and Climate Technologies. The transition to clean energy received a new boost thanks to AI technologies. British energy giant Octopus Energy at the end of 2025 spun off its technology platform Kraken into a separate company that secured around $1 billion in funding at a valuation of $8.65 billion. The Kraken platform uses AI to optimize energy grids and customer service, signaling the market’s readiness to channel major funds into climate tech when scalable solutions are presented. In the same clean energy sphere, Octopus Energy previously raised $320 million for expansion into the US markets. A significant transaction was also noted in Europe: Dutch chip maker ASML invested $2 billion in French AI startup Mistral AI, valuing it at $13.2 billion and bolstering the development of European competencies in AI and hardware.
- Cryptocurrency and Fintech. Despite a waning interest in crypto assets, certain major players are making targeted investments. The operator of the New York Stock Exchange, ICE, announced in October 2025 plans to invest up to $2 billion in the blockchain platform Polymarket (a prediction market), giving the startup a valuation of approximately $8 billion and indicating traditional financial institutions' interest in Web3 infrastructure. Additionally, the Abu Dhabi-based investment fund MGX infused $2 billion into global cryptocurrency exchange Binance in March, supporting it amid regulatory challenges. In the fintech sector, while no new mega rounds were noted, the industry remains dynamic: Indian fintech startup Knight FinTech secured $23.6 million, payment and neo-banking services are expanding client bases, and the most valuable fintech unicorns (Stripe, Revolut, etc.) are preparing for IPOs as market conditions improve.
Overall, 2025 demonstrated that investors are willing to finance not only software AI companies but also “real sector” projects if they possess technological breakthroughs. The synergy between AI and industries previously distant from IT led to significant rounds in agtech (for example, Indian startups Arya and Unnati attracted tens of millions for agricultural platforms), healthcare (biotech companies worldwide continued to attract capital, albeit with less media attention), and industrial automation. Robotics is also on the cusp of growth: the decreasing cost of sensors and the advancement of AI promise a new generation of robotics startups emerging with serious investments in 2026. Thus, besides the AI internet investor wave, there is forming demand for projects in defense, climate issues, and other niches capable of addressing tangible problems.
Revival of the IPO Market
After nearly two years of dormancy, venture stars are once again making their mark on global exchanges—the IPO market began to revitalize in the second half of 2025. Declining inflation and stable interest rates have created conditions conducive to the return of liquidity, and several tech companies successfully listed, injecting optimism into the venture community. In the US, several “unicorns” have gone public: for instance, companies from Lightspeed Venture Partners’ portfolio—cybersecurity firm Rubrik, cloud service Netskope, and corporate travel startup Navan—conducted IPOs in 2024–2025, demonstrating sustainable growth to investors and offering much-anticipated exits. These listings confirmed that investors are ready to buy shares of high-tech firms once again, provided they have strong fundamental indicators.
Movement is also being observed in other markets: India’s OYO (an online hotel booking platform) revived its IPO plans at the end of 2025, signaling a resurgence in appetite for public offerings even within developing ecosystems. In Europe, cautious optimism ruled as several tech companies went public on the London and Amsterdam stock exchanges with moderate success, although levels remain far from the boom years of 2021. Nevertheless, it is expected that the IPO wave will continue into 2026. Analysts are naming candidates among the largest private startups likely to opt for the public market: financial giant Stripe, data platform Databricks, software robotics manufacturer Automation Anywhere, and a number of companies in the artificial intelligence sector. The revival of the IPO catalog is critically important for venture funds—successful listings raise valuation multiples and allow LP investors to achieve long-awaited profits. Concurrently, the market for mergers and acquisitions has also become more active: many “stuck” late-stage startups prefer strategic M&A when IPO opportunities are unavailable, thereby providing exits for venture players.
Increase in Unicorns and New Valuations
Despite more selective funding, the total number of "unicorn" startups (valuation over $1 billion) has reached a new high. According to industry trackers, by the end of 2025, there are over 1,300 private companies worldwide valued at over $1 billion, up from approximately 1,100 at the beginning of 2023. During 2025, the market has produced at least 80 new unicorns, with a significant portion in the AI and defense sectors. There are even companies that skipped the unicorn stage and directly became “decacorns” (>$10 billion) or higher. For example, the aforementioned Anthropic and xAI reached valuations in the tens of billions well before going public. This rapid ascent in valuations has led to the emergence of the term “pegasus”—as some investors propose to refer to a startup that attracts $1 billion in investment at the seed stage. While this is still a semi-joking designation, the market is indeed observing an increasing number of instances of enormous rounds at the very early stages, particularly if the founders are industry stars with previous successes.
However, the explosive growth in valuations is not uniform across the entire market. For most startups, accessing capital has become more challenging than during the era of low rates a few years ago. Investors demand convincing metrics and unique propositions: the hundredth AI startup with a similar idea is unlikely to achieve a high valuation now. Nevertheless, companies offering breakthrough solutions can still reach valuations exceeding a billion in record time. In 2025, startups frequently demonstrated revenue growth from $0 to $100 million within just a year or two, which used to seem incredible. The trend of “accelerated unicorns” is expected to continue into 2026, especially if generative AI technologies rapidly integrate into business and daily life.
Capital Concentration Among Market Leaders
A key theme in the venture industry has become the concentration of capital in the hands of the largest players and the changing strategies of investors. Traditional “middle-tier” venture funds are under pressure, as limited partners (LPs) prefer to invest in a smaller number of larger funds that have access to top deals and can write checks worth hundreds of millions. As a result, a significant portion of venture capital flows into a few renowned firms or specialized niche funds, while new teams face challenges in fundraising. This trend amplifies the influence of large institutional LPs (pension funds, sovereign wealth funds) that set stringent conditions and demand demonstrated results from VC managers.
In response to this capital redistribution, the venture sector is exploring new approaches. Some top firms are expanding their product lines, launching their mutual funds or platforms to attract retail investors' capital (including through easing rules in 401(k) retirement accounts in the US). The goal is to access even broader resources beyond traditional LPs, as management fees for a large fund are generally more predictable than profit shares (carry) in an uncertain future. Concurrently, smaller and newer funds are experimenting with fee structures and strategies, attempting to attract capital amid market consolidation. In 2025, according to PitchBook, the number of new funds nearly halved, but the amounts raised by individual funds increased—prompting fresh teams to seek their niche or partner with larger players.
The influx of capital from non-financial investors has also become noticeable. Family offices and sovereign funds are filling the gap left by the departure of several classic LPs: direct investments by wealthy families and states in startups have increased. For instance, Middle Eastern funds are actively participating in major deals (the previously mentioned investments by Qatar’s QIA in xAI, MGX in Binance, etc.), providing checks in the hundreds of millions when traditional venture funds are being more cautious. This results in late-stage startups increasingly being funded by consortia of several mega funds and sovereign investors, altering the balance of power in the venture arena.
Discipline and Efficiency of Startups
For startups themselves, the new reality of the venture market means heightened efficiency requirements. If two or three years ago, capital was available for bold ideas with minimal metrics, now both funds and shareholders expect teams to demonstrate business resilience. The best founders of 2025 showcased their ability to run companies with a focus on financial discipline: optimizing expenses, extending runway by cutting costs, improving gross margins, and customer retention. Investors are increasingly interested not only in market potential but also in how close a startup is to profitability or whether it has a clear plan for achieving it.
In a market still in recovery, stories about smart strategy execution are more appealing than simply having a grand visionary idea. Startups that managed to grow in 2025 while simultaneously improving key metrics (EBITDA, LTV/CAC, unit economics) are now in high demand among investors. This trend is expected to intensify in 2026: investors want to see companies not merely “burning” acquired funds but sensibly building business processes. For instance, in many hot segments (AI, SaaS, fintech), the race to capture market share at any cost has ended—instead, those who can retain customers and generate stable cash flow are winning. Even among AI startups, where competition is particularly fierce, investors are beginning to favor not the tenth similar prototype, but teams offering narrowly specialized solutions or proprietary technologies that are complex to replicate.
Thus, the global startup market enters 2026 at a new stage of maturity. Big money hasn't disappeared—there’s still plenty of it ready to support breakthrough innovations across various sectors. However, capital has become “smarter”: it concentrates in the largest funds, selects the best of the best, and demands returns. For venture investors and funds, this means the necessity to stay attuned to new trends (be it generative AI, defense, or climate technologies) while also being prepared for more rigorous oversight of portfolio companies. For startup founders, the successful strategy for the coming year will be balancing bold innovation with strict operational calculations. This combination of bright ideas and business discipline will be essential in attracting investors and transforming a startup into a sustainable growing business on the global stage.
