Current News on Startups and Venture Investments as of February 7, 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Growth in AI Investments, Venture Fund Activity, and Key Global Trends for Investors.
As we enter February 2026, the global venture capital market continues to show a strong recovery following the downturn of recent years. Preliminary estimates indicate that 2025 was one of the most successful years for startup investments (behind only the record-setting 2021 and 2022), signaling a return of significant private capital to the tech sector. Investors worldwide are actively funding promising companies again: record-breaking deals are being concluded, and startup plans for going public are back on the agenda. Major venture funds are emerging with new megadeals and strategies, while governments and corporations are increasing support for innovation, eager to keep pace in the global tech race. As a result, at the start of 2026, the venture market demonstrates positive dynamics, instilling cautious optimism—even as investors remain selective in assessing projects and the viability of business models.
In geographic terms, the recovery is global, though unevenly distributed. The primary driver remains the United States, which accounts for the lion's share of large funding rounds (especially in artificial intelligence). In Europe, venture investments continue to grow: in 2025, Germany surpassed the UK for the first time in raised capital, strengthening the positions of European tech hubs. In Asia, the dynamics are mixed: the Indian ecosystem has reached a new level of maturity (in January, the first “unicorns” of 2026 emerged, and high-profile IPOs resumed on local exchanges), while activity in China remains subdued due to regulatory pressures and a redirection of resources toward domestic priorities. The Middle East and North Africa, on the contrary, are accelerating: funds from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are pouring billions into tech companies both within their region and globally, funding fintech, cloud services, and AI startups. Startup ecosystems in Russia and neighboring countries are also striving to keep pace by launching local funds and programs, albeit with significantly smaller volumes for now. Thus, a new venture boom is shaping up that encompasses nearly all continents, forming a more balanced global innovation ecosystem.
Below are some key events and trends defining the agenda for startups and venture investments as of February 7, 2026:
- The return of megafunds and large investors. Leading venture firms are raising record-sized funds and sharply increasing investments, refilling the market with capital and reigniting the appetite for risk.
- Unprecedented AI megadeals and a new wave of “unicorns.” Fantastically large investments in artificial intelligence are raising startup valuations to unprecedented heights and giving birth to dozens of new unicorn companies.
- Climate technologies and energy are attracting megadeals. The sustainable energy and climate tech sector is coming to the forefront thanks to multi-million and billion-dollar funding rounds worldwide.
- Consolidation in fintech: major exits and a wave of M&A. Mature fintech players are becoming targets for multi-billion acquisitions and unicorns are expanding through strategic acquisitions.
- A revival of the IPO market. Initial public offerings of tech companies are back in the spotlight, as successful IPOs inspire new candidates to prepare for going public.
- Focus on defense, space, and cybersecurity startups. Venture funds are reallocating capital to strategic sectors — from defense and space to cybersecurity — in response to geopolitical challenges.
- A resurgence of investments in biotech and medtech. After a prolonged slump, the biotech and digital health sector is once again attracting significant capital, building on successful M&A transactions and scientific breakthroughs.
The Return of Megafunds: Big Money Back on 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: American giant Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has raised over $15 billion for new funds, increasing its total assets under management to a record $90 billion. These funds are being directed toward priority areas—from artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies to defense technologies and biotech. Japan is keeping pace; SoftBank has launched its third Vision Fund with around $40 billion and is simultaneously strengthening its presence in the AI sector. At the end of 2025, SoftBank invested $22.5 billion in OpenAI, making one of the largest single investments in startup history. Other players are also actively adding to their capital base: Lightspeed Venture Partners closed new funds totaling over $9 billion—a record in the firm’s 25-year history, while Tiger Global, having recovered from recent losses, returned to the market with a $2.2 billion fund, reaffirming its ambitions.
The influx of such “big capital” saturates the market with liquidity and increases competition for the most promising deals. Sovereign funds from the Middle East and government institutions worldwide are also pouring billions into tech projects, creating new megaplatforms for funding innovations. Estimates suggest that the total amount of dry powder among investors is already in the hundreds of billions of dollars, ready to be deployed as market confidence strengthens. The return of large capital confirms investors’ belief in the continued growth of the tech sector and their desire not to miss the next major technological breakthrough.
The Boom of AI Startups: Megadeals and New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector is the driving force behind the current venture upswing, setting historical records for deal volumes. Investors are eager to take their place at the forefront of the AI revolution and are prepared to fund colossal rounds in support of race leaders. As early as 2026, unprecedented deals have been announced: for instance, Waymo (the autonomous unit of Alphabet) raised around $16 billion in new funding at a valuation of $126 billion, making it one of the most valuable startups in history. A significant round was also closed by Cerebras Systems, a chip developer for AI, which secured $1 billion in investments (valuation around $23 billion). Industry leader OpenAI is reportedly negotiating to raise up to $100 billion at a valuation of approximately $800 billion—such massive private funding has never been seen before (discussions involve SoftBank as well as corporations like Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon, along with Middle Eastern funds). OpenAI's competitor, the startup Anthropic, is also reportedly raising up to $15 billion at a valuation of about $350 billion.
On this wave of excitement, new unicorns are multiplying: in just the past few months, dozens of companies worldwide have surpassed the $1 billion valuation. In the US, projects in generative video and voice AI (Higgsfield, Deepgram, etc.) are achieving unicorn status at a rapid pace, while substantial AI funding rounds in Europe (for instance, $350 million for the German company Parloa at a valuation of $3 billion) affirm the global nature of the AI boom. Investor appetite for AI remains strong, though experts warn of overheating risks and inflated expectations. Notably, venture capitalists are now actively investing not only in applied AI products but also in infrastructure for them—ranging from powerful chips and data centers to security and regulatory systems. This mass influx of capital accelerates progress in the sector but requires the market to closely monitor the sustainability of business models to ensure that euphoria does not turn into a sharp cooling-off period.
Climate Technologies and Energy: Megadeals on the Rise
Amid the global shift toward sustainable energy, significant capital is also flowing into climate tech projects. In 2025, the total volume of climate-specific funds exceeded $100 billion (with most raised by funds in Europe), reflecting unprecedented investor interest in “green” innovations. Private funding rounds of hundreds of millions in this sphere are no longer rare. For instance, the American company TerraPower, which is developing compact nuclear reactors, received about $650 million to advance its technologies, while the startup Helion Energy secured $425 million for the construction of its first commercial fusion reactor. Earlier in January, the climate project Base Power in the US raised $1 billion at an evaluation of $3 billion to expand its energy storage battery network, becoming one of the largest deals in climate tech history.
Venture funds are increasingly betting on solutions that can accelerate the decarbonization of the economy and meet the growing demand for energy. Substantial investments are being directed toward energy storage, new types of batteries and fuels, electric vehicle development, carbon capture technologies, and “climate fintech”—platforms for trading carbon credits and insuring climate risks. Historically, climate and energy projects have been viewed as risky for venture capital due to their long payback cycles, but now private and corporate investors are willing to take a long view, anticipating substantial returns on innovations in this sector. Thus, sustainable technologies are firmly establishing themselves among the priorities of the venture market, gradually paving the way for the “green” transition of the economy.
Fintech Consolidation: Billions in Exits and a Wave of M&A
A new wave of consolidation is unfolding in the fintech sector, signaling the maturation of the fintech market. Major banks and investors are eager to integrate cutting-edge fintech solutions: in January, American bank Capital One agreed to acquire the startup Brex (a corporate expense management platform) for approximately $5.15 billion. This deal became the largest fintech acquisition by a bank, emphasizing the intent of traditional financial giants to embrace innovation. In Europe, the venture fund Hg purchased the American financial platform OneStream for roughly $6.4 billion, acquiring stakes from previous investors (including KKR). Additionally, Deutsche Börse announced the purchase of the investment platform Allfunds for €5.3 billion to strengthen its position in the WealthTech arena, while US Bancorp is acquiring brokerage firm BTIG for approximately $1 billion.
Alongside acquisitions by corporate heavyweights, fintech unicorns themselves are stepping onto the acquisition path. For instance, Australian payment service unicorn Airwallex is expanding its presence in Asia by acquiring the Korean company Paynuri. The uptick in mergers and acquisitions signals that as the industry matures, successful fintech companies are either being absorbed by larger players or growing through strategic purchases. For venture investors, this presents new opportunities for lucrative exits, while for the market as a whole, it means consolidation among key players and the emergence of multiproduct platforms built on acquired startups.
The IPO Market Comes Alive: Startups Are Going Public Again
After a prolonged hiatus, the global market for initial public offerings of tech companies is showing a confident resurgence. 2025 exceeded analysts’ expectations in terms of high-profile IPOs: in the US alone, at least 23 companies went public with a valuation exceeding $1 billion (compared to only 9 such debuts the previous year), and the total valuation of these offerings surpassed $125 billion. Investors are once again ready to welcome profit-generating and rapidly growing companies in the public markets, especially if they have a strong narrative involving AI or other “hot” technologies. By the end of 2025, successful debuts from fintech giant Stripe and neobank Chime (whose shares rose approximately 40% on the first trading day) renewed confidence in the IPO window.
Looking ahead to 2026, this trend is expected to continue: several major startups are openly hinting at preparations for their stock offerings. Among the most anticipated candidates for IPO:
- The largest fintech unicorns: payment platforms Plaid and Revolut;
- Leaders in artificial intelligence: AI model developer OpenAI, big data platform Databricks, and the business AI startup Cohere;
- Other tech giants: for instance, space company SpaceX (if market conditions are favorable).
Successful public offerings by these companies could provide an additional boost to the market, although experts caution that volatility could suddenly close the current “IPO window.” Nonetheless, the resurgence of startups headed to the public markets strengthens the belief that investors are prepared to reward companies demonstrating strong growth and profitability, while venture funds are presented with long-awaited opportunities for significant exits.
Defense, Space, and Cyber Startups in the Spotlight
Geopolitical tensions and new types of risks are reshaping venture investors' priorities. In the US, the trend of American Dynamism is gaining traction—investments in technologies related to national security. Some of the aforementioned megafunds (such as a16z) are directing their resources specifically towards defense and “deep tech” projects. Startups developing solutions for the military, space, and cybersecurity are increasingly attracting nine-figure sums. For example, California-based Onebrief, which creates software for military planning, recently raised about $200 million at a valuation exceeding $2 billion and even made a small acquisition to expand its platform’s capabilities. Simultaneously, specialized players are rapidly growing: Belgian startup Aikido Security, offering a code and cloud cybersecurity platform, reached unicorn status (valuation of $1 billion) in less than two years of operation.
These successes reflect the rising demand for technologies that ensure defense and cybersecurity. Investments are being directed toward everything from supply chain protection (e.g., the UK project Cyb3r Operations raised $5 million for monitoring cyber risks) to new satellite reconnaissance methods. Notably, the support for defense and space startups is being strengthened not only by private funds but also by government programs in the US, Europe, Israel, and other countries seeking technological superiority. Thus, “dual-use” technologies relating to security are firmly established in the focus of the venture market alongside commercial projects.
A Resurgence of Investments in Biotech and Digital Health
After several challenging years of “biotech winter,” the life sciences sector is showing signs of warming. Major deals at the end of 2025 restored investor confidence in biotech: for instance, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer agreed to acquire the company Metsera (developer of obesity treatments) for $10 billion, while AbbVie purchased ImmunoGen for approximately $10.1 billion—these M&A deals confirmed that the demand for promising therapies remains high. Against this backdrop, venture investors are once again ready to fund biotech startups with significant sums. In early 2026, signs of funding revitalization emerged: the American startup Parabilis Medicines, developing innovative oncology drugs, raised around $305 million—one of the largest rounds for the industry in recent times. Funding rounds for medical technologies and digital health are also expanding, especially as they intersect with artificial intelligence.
Market participants note that the biotech and medtech sectors are forecasted to slowly emerge from the crisis in 2026. Investors are diversifying their investments, focusing not only on traditional areas (oncology, immunology) but also on new niches—genetic technologies, rare diseases, neurotechnologies, and medical AI solutions. An increase in M&A activity is expected in biopharma, as large pharmaceutical companies experience a "hunger" for new products in the face of patent expirations. Although the IPO market for biotech has not yet fully recovered, substantial late-stage rounds and strategic deals are providing startups in this sector with the necessary capital to advance their developments. Thus, biotechnology and healthcare are re-emerging as attractive areas for venture investments, promising investors significant growth potential based on the scientific viability of projects.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism and Sustainable Growth
Despite the rapid rise in venture activity at the beginning of the year, investors maintain a degree of caution, mindful of lessons from the recent market cooling. Capital is indeed returning to the tech sector, but requirements for startups have tightened: funds expect teams to present clear business models, economic efficiency, and understandable paths to profitability. Company valuations are rising again (especially in the AI sector); however, investors are increasingly focusing on risk diversification and the long-term sustainability of their portfolios. The returning liquidity—from billion-dollar venture funds to new IPOs—creates opportunities for significant growth but simultaneously intensifies competition for outstanding projects.
There is a high probability that in 2026, the venture capital industry will transition to a phase of more balanced development. Funding for “disruptive” directions (AI, climate technologies, biotech, defense, etc.) will continue, but with greater emphasis on the quality of growth, transparency in corporate governance, and compliance with regulatory requirements. This more measured approach should help the market avoid overheating and lay the groundwork for sustainable innovation development in the long term.
