Startup and Venture Capital News for Wednesday, January 28, 2026: Major Investment Rounds, Venture Fund Activity, Global Trends in AI, Fintech, and ClimateTech. An Analytical Overview for Venture Investors and Funds.
The global venture capital market is approaching the end of January 2026 with a clear upward momentum. Following a prolonged downturn from 2022 to 2024 and a cautious recovery in 2025, investors worldwide are once again actively investing in promising tech startups. Record funding deals are being closed, and companies' plans for IPOs are coming back to the forefront. Major industry players are returning with substantial investments, while governments and corporations are ramping up support for innovation – significant private capital is flowing into the startup ecosystem. These trends signal the formation of a new early-stage investment boom, although market participants remain selective and deliberate in their deal-making.
Venture activity is increasing across all regions. The United States is solidifying its leading position (especially due to investments in the AI sector), while investment volumes in Middle Eastern startups have surged exponentially thanks to inflows from sovereign wealth funds. In Europe, a shift has occurred: for the first time, Germany has outpaced the UK in terms of venture deals. India, Southeast Asia, and Gulf Cooperation Council countries are seeing record capital inflows, while activity in China has somewhat decreased. Startup ecosystems in Russia and neighboring countries are striving to keep pace with global trends despite external constraints.
Below are the key events and trends shaping the venture market agenda for January 28, 2026:
- The Return of Mega Funds and Major Investors. Leading venture firms are raising unprecedented amounts for new funds, saturating the market with liquidity and rekindling appetite for risk.
- Record Rounds in AI and a New Wave of Unicorns. Unusually large deals are elevating startup valuations to new heights, especially in the AI segment, leading to a plethora of new unicorns.
- Revival of the IPO Market. Successful debuts of tech companies in the stock market and new listing applications confirm that the long-awaited "window" for public offerings is open once again.
- Surge in Consolidation via M&A Deals. Major mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships are reshaping the industry landscape, providing investors with opportunities for quick exits.
- Diversification of Sector Focus. Venture capital is flowing not only into AI but also into fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defense technologies, crypto startups, and other promising areas.
- Local Focus: Russia and CIS Countries. Despite restrictions, new funds and programs aimed at developing local startup ecosystems are being launched in the region, attracting investor attention.
The Return of Mega Funds: Big Money Back in the Market
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture arena - risk appetite in the industry has noticeably increased. In recent weeks, several top funds have announced the closure of new mega funds. For instance, American Lightspeed Venture Partners raised around $9 billion (a record fundraising for 2025), while a number of other leading firms have also established multi-billion dollar funds. After a period of calm, Tiger Global is back in the market, aiming for approximately $2.2 billion for a new fund — a significantly lower amount than previous targets, reflecting a more cautious approach. Sovereign investors have also become active; Gulf states are pouring billions into tech projects and launching their own startup support programs.
Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, having recovered from previous setbacks, is making big bets again. At the end of 2025, SoftBank invested about $40 billion in OpenAI. The return of such powerful financiers means the emergence of hundreds of billions of dollars of "dry powder" (uninvested capital) ready to be deployed. These resources are already entering the market, intensifying competition for the best projects and supporting high valuations for promising companies. The return of mega funds and large institutional players not only heightens competition for the most advantageous deals but also instills confidence in the industry regarding further capital inflows.
Record AI Investments and a Surge in New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the current venture upswing, showcasing unprecedented funding volumes. Investors are eager to position themselves at the forefront of the AI revolution, directing enormous amounts of capital into the most promising projects. In 2025, several companies attracted multi-billion rounds: OpenAI received about $40 billion at a valuation of roughly $300 billion, while its competitor Anthropic raised around $13 billion. Notably, capital is flowing into not only established leaders but also new teams.
For instance, American startup Baseten, which creates infrastructure for AI, attracted about $300 million at a valuation of ~$5 billion. Such investments are rapidly expanding the club of unicorns. Just in recent months, dozens of startups — from generative AI, specialized chips, to cloud AI services — have crossed the $1 billion valuation threshold. While experts caution about overheating risks, venture capital appetite for AI startups remains strong.
IPO Wave: The Window for Exits is Open Again
The global market for initial public offerings is reviving after two years of dormancy, again providing startups with opportunities to go public. In Asia, a new wave of listings has been launched in Hong Kong: several large tech companies have gone public there in recent months, collectively raising billions of dollars. For example, Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi sold an additional share package for approximately $4 billion, demonstrating that investors in the region are once again ready to actively support large placements.
The situation is also improving in the U.S. and Europe: following the successful debuts of 2024-2025, more and more unicorns are preparing to go public. American fintech giant Stripe, which has delayed its IPO for some time, is planning to list in 2026 on the wave of favorable market conditions. Additionally, design platform Figma opted for an independent IPO instead of selling to a strategic investor, raising over $1 billion — its valuation subsequently rose decisively. Even the crypto industry is eager to capitalize on the revival: fintech company Circle successfully completed an IPO. The resurgence of activity in the IPO market is crucial for the venture ecosystem: successful public exits return capital to investors, allowing them to redirect it into new projects.
Consolidation and M&A: Major Deals Transforming the Industry
High startup valuations and competition for leaders are leading to increased consolidation in the tech sector. Major corporations and highly valued late-stage unicorns are increasingly acquiring promising teams or merging with each other to accelerate growth. The year 2025 has become one of the record years in terms of deal volumes: the total value of venture M&A globally approached historical highs, and in the U.S., it exceeded the bubble levels of 2021. The culmination of this wave was Google's acquisition of cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion — the largest purchase of a venture-backed company in the history of the industry.
Apart from this record deal, there have been several multi-billion acquisitions across various segments. Here are just a few examples:
- Capital One acquired fintech platform Brex for around $5.15 billion
- Coinbase acquired crypto exchange Deribit
- IonQ bought quantum firm Oxford Ionics
The activation of the M&A market provides venture funds with new opportunities for profitable exits, while startups gain resources for scaling under the wings of major partners. The consolidation of players through mergers accelerates the maturation of specific niches while simultaneously opening up new niches for the next wave of teams.
Diversification of Investments: Beyond AI Alone
The upswing of 2025-2026 is characterized by a capital inflow into various sectors. Following the downturn of previous years, funding in financial technologies is revitalizing: major rounds are occurring not only in the U.S. but also in Europe and emerging markets, fueling the growth of new fintech services. Concurrently, spurred by a global push for sustainability, interest in climate and ecological projects is gaining strength — startups in renewable energy, energy storage, and carbon emission reduction are attracting record investments. Appetite for biotechnology is also returning: recent breakthroughs in medicine are inspiring funds to finance major healthcare projects again. Moreover, a partial recovery of trust in the cryptocurrency market has allowed some blockchain startups to again secure investments.
Attention towards defense technologies, space development, and robotics is also on the rise. Amid geopolitical challenges, investors are eager to support projects in national security, aerospace startups, and innovations for Industry 4.0. Below are the main sectors, aside from AI, where investments are currently flowing:
- Financial technologies (fintech): digital banks, payment platforms, online services
- Climate and "green" projects: renewable energy, carbon reduction, eco-friendly infrastructure
- Biotechnology and medicine: new drug development, biomedical devices, digital health
- Defense and aerospace technologies: defense-tech startups, drones, satellites, robotic systems
Thus, the venture landscape is becoming more balanced. Capital is being distributed across different sectors, reducing the risk of overheating in one area. Funds are forming diversified portfolios and striving to avoid past mistakes, where excessive funding of a single trend led to the emergence of bubbles.
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, there is a revival of startup activity in Russia and neighboring countries. Notably, announcements have been made regarding the launch of several new venture funds with a volume of about 10-12 billion rubles, aimed at supporting early-stage tech projects. Local startups are beginning to attract significant capital: for example, the Krasnodar foodtech project Qummy raised about 440 million rubles at an estimated valuation of approximately 2.4 billion rubles. Additionally, the country has again allowed foreign investors to invest in local projects, gradually rekindling interest from overseas capital.
Although the volumes of venture investments in the region are still modest compared to global levels, they are gradually increasing. Some larger companies are considering bringing their tech divisions to the stock market as market conditions improve — for instance, VK Tech has publicly suggested the possibility of an IPO in the foreseeable future. New government support measures and corporate initiatives aim to give additional impetus to the local startup ecosystem and integrate it into global trends.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism
The venture community is entering 2026 with a mood of cautious optimism. Successful IPOs, mega-rounds, and exits from late last year have shown that the downturn period is behind. However, the lessons of recent history are not forgotten. Investors are now evaluating startup business models and their paths to profitability much more carefully, avoiding a chase for growth at any cost. This disciplined approach helps to prevent market overheating.
At the same time, key trends instill confidence in continued growth. The IPO window, which was closed in 2022-2023, has now reopened, allowing mature companies to realize their plans for public listings. An active M&A market provides projects with exit opportunities, and the emergence of new mega funds ensures the availability of capital for financing the next generation of startups. Macro-economic instability risks remain, but venture investors are approaching this new upswing more prepared than before. The early weeks of 2026 confirm: the global startup ecosystem is gaining momentum. If positive trends continue, this year may bring further growth in venture investments and the emergence of new technological leaders.
