Startup and Venture Capital News for Friday, January 30, 2026: Major Investment Rounds, Venture Capital Activity, Global Trends, and Key Deals in the Global Startup Market.
By the start of 2026, the global venture capital market has gained significant momentum after several years of decline. Investors worldwide are once again actively funding tech startups – record deals are being made, and the IPO plans for companies are back in focus. Major players are returning with large investments, and governments are ramping up support for innovation. As a result, private equity is once again flowing robustly into startup ecosystems around the globe.
Currently, venture activity is rising across all regions. The United States is leading decisively (particularly in the artificial intelligence sector), while the volume of venture investments in the Middle East has doubled. In Europe, Germany has surpassed the United Kingdom for the first time in the number of deals. India, Southeast Asia, and Gulf countries are attracting record levels of capital amid a relative slowdown in activity in China. The startup ecosystems in Russia and the CIS countries are also striving to keep pace despite external constraints. A global early-stage venture boom is forming, although investors remain selective and cautious.
Below are key events and trends shaping the venture market agenda for January 30, 2026:
- The return of mega funds and large investors. Leading venture firms are raising unprecedentedly large funds and sharply increasing investments, saturating the market with capital and sparking a risk appetite.
- Record deals in AI and new "unicorns." Unusually large investment rounds are propelling startup valuations to unprecedented heights, particularly in the artificial intelligence segment.
- IPO market revival. Successful public listings of tech companies and new applications confirm that the long-awaited “window” for exits is once again open.
- Diversification of sector focus. Venture capital is being directed not only into AI but also into fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defense technologies, and even crypto startups.
- A wave of consolidation and M&A deals. Major mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments are reshaping the industry landscape, creating new opportunities for exits and accelerated growth.
- Local focus: Russia and CIS countries. New funds and initiatives aimed at developing local startup ecosystems are being launched in the region, attracting investor attention despite constraints.
Mega funds and Big Money: Global Investors Are on the Move Again
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture arena, signaling a renewed appetite for risk. For instance, Japan's SoftBank has doubled its bet on the AI sector and has made an all-in investment in OpenAI, totaling around $40 billion – one of the largest private investments in tech sector history. Top venture funds are also building massive reserves: the firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has raised about $15 billion for new funds, increasing its assets under management to over $90 billion and directing capital towards advanced areas (AI, cryptocurrencies, defense technologies, biotech, and more). Meanwhile, sovereign funds from Middle Eastern countries, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have significantly boosted tech investments – pouring billions into both global funds and directly into startups. A multitude of new venture funds is emerging worldwide, attracting substantial institutional capital. This influx of "big money" is providing liquidity to the startup market, ensuring resources for new funding rounds and supporting growth in the valuations of promising companies. The return of mega funds and major institutional investors not only intensifies competition for the best deals but also instills confidence in the industry regarding a continued steady influx of capital.
Record Investments in AI and a New Wave of "Unicorns"
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the current venture boom, showcasing record levels of funding. Investors are eager to establish themselves among the leaders of the AI race, directing colossal resources into the most promising projects. For instance, Elon Musk's startup xAI recently attracted an unprecedented $20 billion in investments (with Nvidia as a key investor) for the massive expansion of data centers and accelerating AI development. Moreover, OpenAI is negotiating an even larger round – discussions indicate the possibility of raising up to $50 billion at a valuation of around $750-800 billion, highlighting the excitement surrounding industry leaders. Notably, venture investments are being directed not only toward end-user AI applications but also toward the essential infrastructure for them: the market is ready to generously fund even the "picks and shovels" of the new AI ecosystem – from specialized chips to cloud platforms for model training.
The current investment boom is generating a wave of new "unicorns" – startups valued at over $1 billion. In recent weeks, several companies have rapidly reached this status. For example, the American startup Higgsfield, which develops AI-generated video, became a "unicorn" after raising around $80 million at a valuation exceeding $1.3 billion (just one year after starting sales). Additionally, the Belgian company Aikido Security, focused on cybersecurity, achieved a valuation of $1 billion after raising just $60 million in its Series B round – marking a record-fast journey to "unicorn" status for Europe. While experts warn of the risks of market overheating, the appetite for AI startups among investors remains robust.
The IPO Market Comes to Life: SpaceX Prepares for a Record Listing
The global primary public offerings (IPO) market is emerging from a lull and gaining traction. In Asia, Hong Kong has initiated a new wave of IPOs: several large tech companies have gone public here in recent months, raising billions of dollars in total. For instance, the Chinese battery giant CATL successfully completed an IPO raising approximately $5 billion, demonstrating that investors in the region are once again ready to actively participate in IPOs.
In the US and Europe, the situation is also improving. The American fintech "unicorn" Chime debuted on the stock market, with shares rising about 30% on its first trading day. Soon after, the design platform Figma went public, raising approximately $1.2 billion at a valuation of around $15-20 billion; its shares also experienced a strong increase in initial trading days. In the second half of 2025, other well-known startups prepared for public listings – including the payment service Stripe and several other highly valued companies that have filed for listing. Even the crypto industry is looking to capitalize on the revival: the fintech company Circle successfully went public in the summer (its shares then surged), and the cryptocurrency exchange Bullish has filed for listing in the US targeting a valuation of around $4 billion.
Now, on the horizon, is potentially the largest IPO in history: Elon Musk's space company SpaceX plans its public debut in mid-2026, aiming to raise up to $50 billion at a valuation of around $1.5 trillion. This amount nearly doubles the previous global record (Saudi Aramco raised about $29 billion in 2019) and could make SpaceX's listing the largest in history. Leading Wall Street banks are already discussing participation in this mega deal. There are also rumors that AI giants – such as Anthropic or even OpenAI itself – are beginning preparations for potential IPOs in the future. The revival of activity in the IPO market is critically important for the venture ecosystem: successful public exits enable funds to realize profitable exits and reinvest freed-up capital into new projects, thereby closing the cycle of startup investments.
Diversification of Investments: Beyond AI
In 2026, venture investments are encompassing an increasingly broad range of industries and are no longer limited to just AI. Following last year’s downturn, fintech is reviving: large funding rounds are occurring not just in the US but also in Europe and emerging markets, fueling the growth of promising fintech services. Simultaneously, interest in climate and green technologies is strengthening – projects in clean energy, agrotech, and ecology are attracting record investments amid a global trend toward sustainability. The appetite for biotechnology and digital health is also returning: the emergence of new medical advances and online platforms is again attracting capital as valuations in this sector rebound. Furthermore, due to increased attention to security, investors have started actively supporting defense and aerospace startups, while the partial restoration of trust in the cryptocurrency market has enabled some blockchain startups to secure funding once again. As a result, venture capital is now diversifying across sectors, with funds being directed into a wide variety of niches:
- Fintech: A resurgence of activity and large deals in financial technologies worldwide.
- Climate and Environmental Technologies: Record investments in "green" energy, agrotech, and other climate projects.
- Biotech and Health: Renewed capital influx into biotechnology, medtech, and digital health amid scientific breakthroughs.
- Defense Technologies: Increased funding for startups in security, defense, aerospace, and cybersecurity.
- Crypto Startups: The return of interest in blockchain projects and cryptocurrency-based fintech as trust strengthens.
This expansion of sector focus indicates that in 2026, the venture market aims to encompass a broader spectrum of innovations, with investors seeking new growth opportunities beyond a single dominant theme.
Consolidation and M&A: Enlarging Players
Elevated startup valuations and fierce competition for markets are pushing the industry toward consolidation. Major mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are again coming to the forefront, reshaping the power dynamics. For example, Google has agreed to acquire the Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion – a record amount for the Israeli tech sector. Such mega deals demonstrate that tech giants are eager to acquire key technologies and talent.
In general, the current activity in acquisitions and large strategic investments indicates market maturation. Mature startups are increasingly merging with one another or becoming targets for acquisition by corporations, while venture investors are finally obtaining the long-awaited profitable exits. The wave of consolidation is reshaping the industry landscape, allowing rapidly growing companies to scale under the umbrella of larger players and enhancing exit opportunities for funds.
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, startup activity is experiencing a revival in Russia and neighboring countries against the backdrop of global trends. In particular, several new venture funds are being launched, totaling around 10-12 billion RUB, aimed at supporting early-stage tech projects. Local startups are beginning to attract significant capital: for instance, the Krasnodar-based food tech project Qummy raised around 440 million RUB at a valuation of approximately 2.4 billion RUB, while the company Motorica, a developer of modern rehabilitation aids, received over 800 million RUB from a private investor (the largest deal of 2024 in Russia). Furthermore, at the end of 2025, Russia once again allowed foreign investors to invest in local startups, gradually rekindling interest from overseas capital.
While venture investment volumes in the region are still modest compared to global figures, they are gradually increasing. Some large companies are contemplating taking their tech divisions public as market conditions improve — VK Tech recently publicly indicated the possibility of an IPO in the foreseeable future. New government support measures and corporate initiatives are intended to provide an additional boost to the local startup environment and integrate it into global trends.
Cautious Optimism and Quality Growth
Overall, moderate optimism prevails in the venture market now: successful IPOs and large deals indicate that the downturn period is behind us, although investors are still selective and prefer startups with resilient business models. Significant capital influxes into AI and other sectors provide reassurance, but funds are striving to diversify their investments and tighten risk control to ensure that the new upswing does not lead to overheating. As a result, the industry is entering a new phase of development, emphasizing quality and balanced growth.
