Global Startup and Venture Capital News for Wednesday, February 4, 2026: Major Investment Rounds, AI and Deeptech Deals, Venture Fund Activity, and Key Trends in the Global VC Market.
The global startup and venture capital market continues to gain momentum at the beginning of 2026. Following a downturn in previous years, private capital is once again actively flowing into technology companies worldwide, record deals are being made, and much-anticipated IPOs are returning to the agenda. Leading investors are stepping onto the stage with new massive funds, governments are intensifying support for innovation, and optimism is returning to the startup ecosystem. At the same time, competition is heating up—the best projects are being contested by both venture giants and new players, stimulating further market growth.
Venture activity is increasing across all regions. The United States maintains its leadership (particularly due to the AI investment boom), the Middle East has seen investment volumes multiply thanks to generous influxes of sovereign wealth funds, Europe is experiencing a rise in deals (with Germany surpassing the UK in the number of venture investments for the first time), and India and Southeast Asia are recording unprecedented rounds amid a relative decline in activity in China. The startup ecosystems in Russia and neighboring countries are striving to keep pace with global trends by launching local funds and support programs, although market volumes remain modest. Overall, 2026 begins under the sign of a new venture boom, but investors are still carefully assessing risks and the potential of startups, focusing on business quality.
- The return of mega funds and large investors. Leading venture firms are gathering record-sized funds and sharply increasing investments, re-injecting capital into the market and rekindling risk appetite.
- Unprecedented AI mega rounds and a wave of new "unicorns." Unusually large investments in artificial intelligence are raising startup valuations to historic heights, leading to the emergence of many new unicorn companies.
- Revival of the IPO market: the race of tech companies to go public. Successful public offerings of technology leaders and announced IPO plans confirm that the "window of opportunity" for exits has reopened.
- Diversification of investments across sectors. Venture capital is actively directed not only into AI but also into fintech, climate technologies, biotech, defense technologies, the crypto industry, and other promising areas.
- A wave of consolidation and M&A deals. Large mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments are reshaping the industry landscape, creating new opportunities for exits and accelerated growth for startups.
- Local focus: Russia and CIS. Despite external constraints, new funds and initiatives to support local startups are emerging in the region, gradually attracting investors' attention to local projects.
The Return of Mega Funds: Big Money Back in the Market
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture market, signaling a renewed appetite for risk. Global funds are announcing unprecedented capital raising rounds: for example, Japan's SoftBank has launched its third Vision Fund with approximately $40 billion, focused on advanced technologies, and American firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has raised over $15 billion for new funds focused on AI, defense, and other key areas in less than two years since its previous round. Others are not lagging behind: Lightspeed Venture Partners has closed funds totaling more than $9 billion—a record for the firm's 25-year history. Even Tiger Global, having recovered from recent setbacks, has returned to the market with a new fund of about $2.2 billion, reiterating its ambitions.
Sovereign investors are also becoming active: state funds from the Middle East are injecting billions of dollars into tech projects and launching large-scale initiatives to develop startup ecosystems. For instance, in 2025, venture investments in Gulf countries increased by approximately 74%—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are building regional tech hubs, channeling oil dollars into innovation. Simultaneously, new venture funds are emerging globally—both corporate and public-private—aimed at supporting promising startups.
The influx of such "big capital" is filling the market with liquidity and intensifying competition for the most advantageous deals. For startups, this means broader access to funding, and for the industry as a whole, it signals a return of confidence: the presence of hundreds of billions of dollars in "dry powder" indicates investors' faith in the continued growth of the tech sector.
Unprecedented AI Mega Rounds and New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the current venture boom, setting historical records for deal volumes. Investors are eager to take positions in the vanguard of the AI revolution and are willing to fund colossal rounds to support the leaders of the race. Already in the first weeks of 2026, unprecedented-scale deals have been announced: OpenAI (the creator of ChatGPT) is negotiating a new funding round of up to $100 billion at a valuation of approximately $800 billion—such private fundraising has never been seen before. It is expected that SoftBank may contribute a significant portion (up to $30 billion) to this mega round, and participation from corporations such as Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon, as well as Middle Eastern funds like the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and MGX, is also being discussed.
OpenAI's biggest competitor, the startup Anthropic, is also attracting unprecedented funds: it is already receiving up to $15 billion at a valuation of around $350 billion, striving not to lag behind in the race. Thus, the two leading AI companies are effectively competing for the title of the most valuable startup in history, paving the way for a new wave of unicorns. Riding the wave of excitement, other ambitious projects are also finding investors: there are precedents where even at the seed stage, startups are attracting hundreds of millions of dollars (for example, in the US, the lab Humans&, founded by alumni from Big Tech, secured $480 million in seed investments—a record for an initial round).
These colossal investments are rapidly expanding the "unicorn" club. Just in recent months, dozens of companies worldwide have surpassed the $1 billion valuation mark—especially many new unicorns are emerging in the fields of generative AI, cloud services, and defense technologies. Although experts warn of overheating risks and inflated expectations, the appetite for AI investments remains unbroken. Moreover, venture capitalists are increasingly funding not only applied AI products but also the infrastructure for them—from powerful chips and data centers to security and regulatory tools. This investment boom, in general, is stimulating progress in the industry but requires market participants to carefully monitor the sustainability of business models to prevent euphoria from quickly turning into a sharp cooling.
The IPO Market Revives: The Race of Major Startups to Go Public
Following a long lull, the global IPO market is again showing signs of movement. Successful public debuts of technology companies at the end of 2025 have indicated that the window of opportunity for going public has reopened. In Asia, Hong Kong is leading the charge, where in recent months several major startups have raised billions through IPOs—investors in the region are once again ready to participate in placements. The situation in the US and Europe is also improving: American fintech unicorn Chime successfully went public on Nasdaq in January 2026 (with a stock price growth of about 40% on the first day), and shortly before that, the long-awaited IPO of the payment service Stripe rekindled faith in public markets.
Now even larger placements are on the horizon. Elon Musk's space company, SpaceX, is officially planning an IPO in mid-2026, hoping to raise up to $50 billion at a valuation of around $1.5 trillion—if these plans come to fruition, SpaceX's listing will become the largest in history, nearly double the previous record set by Saudi Aramco ($29 billion in 2019). Additionally, the leaders of the AI race are eager to take advantage of the current window: it has become known that OpenAI and Anthropic are seriously preparing to go public by the end of 2026, with OpenAI striving to outpace its competitor. Rumors suggest that before the IPO, Elon Musk may merge his AI startup xAI with SpaceX to strengthen positions ahead of the public listing.
The revival of IPO market activity is of immense importance for the venture ecosystem. Successful public offerings return capital to investors, allowing funds to realize profitable exits and redistribute resources into new projects. Since there have been fewer "quick" exits through acquisitions in recent years, the long-awaited opportunity to take startups public delights all market participants. Of course, investors remain selective—only the most mature and promising companies are offered to the public—however, the fact that tech unicorns are once again ready for IPOs instills a cautious optimism within the industry. If external conditions remain favorable, 2026 could become a record year for the number and volume of tech IPOs.
Diversification of Investments: Fintech, Climate, Biotech, and More
Although artificial intelligence leads among trends, venture capitalists in 2026 are actively broadening their sector focus, reducing the market's dependency on a single sector. Following the explosive growth of AI investments, interest is again rising in other areas:
- Fintech: The return of major rounds in financial technology projects worldwide—from the US and Europe to India and Africa. Banking services, payment platforms, and business solutions are once again attracting significant capital.
- Climate Technologies: Record investments in "green" energy, energy storage, agritech, and sustainable development projects amidst a global focus on ecology.
- Biotech and Healthcare: A new influx of funds into biotech startups, medical technology, and digital healthcare is occurring against the backdrop of scientific breakthroughs and lessons learned from the pandemic—investors are returning to the sector in search of long-term growth.
- Defense and Aerospace Developments: An increase in funding for startups related to national security, aerospace technologies, drones, and cybersecurity—particularly in light of government priorities and geopolitical challenges.
- Crypto Industry: A gradual revival of interest in blockchain projects, cryptocurrency-based fintech, and Web3 as the digital asset market stabilizes and new regulatory frameworks are put in place.
Thus, the venture market at the beginning of 2026 is characterized by a broad distribution of capital across various niches. Funds are seeking growth points not only in AI but also in finance, climate, medicine, defense, and other sectors. This multi-sector approach makes the startup ecosystem more resilient and reduces the risk of a "bubble" in any one segment.
Consolidation and M&A Deals: Market Consolidation
High startup valuations and fierce competition for technological leadership are leading to a new wave of consolidation. Large corporations and mature unicorns are increasingly acquiring promising teams or merging with them to accelerate growth and obtain critically important technologies. Several multi-billion dollar deals have already been announced, reshaping the power balance in the industry. For example, Google has agreed to buy Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion—this represents the largest acquisition of a startup in the industry's history. American bank Capital One announced in January its acquisition of fintech platform Brex for $5.15 billion, one of the most significant M&A deals in the fintech sector. Apple is also not lagging behind: the tech giant is bolstering its positions in AI by acquiring AI developer for wearables Q.ai for approximately $1.6 billion (the largest purchase made by Apple in the last decade).
Such acquisitions demonstrate that even market leaders are willing to spend tens of billions of dollars to maintain a competitive edge in new technological races. The wave of M&A is changing the landscape: fast-growing startups receive a chance to scale under the umbrella of large companies, while venture investors gain the long-awaited exits and capital returns. Consolidation increases industry efficiency, allowing combined players to compete better globally. However, some analysts caution that if valuations remain inflated, excessive consolidation may stifle innovation—thus, participants in 2026 deals strive to find a balance between rapid growth and preserving the entrepreneurial spirit of startups.
Russia and CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, the venture ecosystem in Russia and the CIS countries is also showing signs of revival, striving to follow global trends. Several new funds have been announced in the region, totaling approximately 10-12 billion rubles, aimed at supporting early-stage tech projects. Large banks and corporations are engaging in initiatives, creating accelerators and venture divisions. Development institutions (such as the Skolkovo Foundation) are expanding grant and co-investment programs, partially offsetting the outflow of Western capital.
Local startups are beginning to attract more substantial funding. A notable example is the Krasnodar food tech service Qummy, which secured about 440 million rubles in funding at a valuation of around 2.4 billion rubles by the end of 2025, while Moscow's Motorica (a developer of high-tech prosthetics) raised over 800 million rubles from a private investor. Additionally, authorities have officially allowed investors from "friendly" countries to once again invest in Russian startups, gradually reigniting foreign capital interest in the region. Although absolute volumes of venture investments in Russia and the CIS are still modest compared to Silicon Valley or China, they are steadily increasing. Local investors are focusing on areas that are in demand under current conditions: artificial intelligence, import substitution technologies, cybersecurity, and industrial B2B services. Thus, the local market is trying to capitalize on the global upturn, laying the groundwork for future growth even under constraints.
Conclusions: Cautious Optimism in the Venture Industry
The rapid start of 2026 is fostering a sentiment of cautious optimism among market participants. On one hand, record funding rounds, the return of mega funds, and the emergence of successful IPOs signal that the worst phase of the downturn is behind us and that the venture market has shifted to growth. On the other hand, the lessons of recent years compel investors to exercise caution: capital is still allocated selectively, and startups need to provide evidence of viability and effective monetization. The presence of vast reserves of "dry powder" (funds ready for investment) also carries the risk of overheating if money is deployed without adequate analysis.
Overall, the industry is entering a new phase of development, where the focus is on quality growth. The main beneficiaries are startups capable of combining innovation with a sustainable business model. Venture funds are increasingly focusing on portfolio diversification and risk management to ensure that the new upturn does not repeat the mistakes of the previous bubble. As macroeconomic conditions stabilize, interest rates approach a peak, and geopolitical uncertainty gradually decreases, risk appetite may strengthen. If these conditions persist, 2026 promises to be a time of opportunity: strong teams with groundbreaking ideas and thoughtful strategies now have a chance to attract capital and take their business to the next level. The venture market looks ahead with cautious optimism, hoping for further revival while adhering to principles of sustainability and discipline.
