Global Startup and Venture Capital News for January 29, 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Venture Fund Activity, AI Startup Growth, and Key Trends in the Global Venture Market.
The global venture capital market is approaching the end of January 2026 with a sense of confident growth. Following a prolonged downturn during 2022-2024 and cautious recovery in 2025, investors around the world are once again actively investing in promising tech startups. Record-breaking funding deals are being made, and companies are reconsidering their plans for public offerings. Major players in the industry are returning with significant investments, while governments and corporations are increasing their support for innovation—bringing substantial private capital back into the startup ecosystem. These trends signal the emergence of a new investment boom at early stages, although market participants remain selective and cautious about deals.
Venture activity is rising across all regions. The United States is solidifying its leadership position (especially due to investments in artificial intelligence), while the Middle East has seen a remarkable increase in startup funding driven by an influx of sovereign wealth capital. In Europe, there has been a reshuffling: Germany has overtaken the United Kingdom for the first time in terms of venture deals. India, Southeast Asia, and Gulf countries are breaking records for capital attraction, while activity in China has somewhat decreased. The startup ecosystems in Russia and neighboring countries are striving to keep pace with global trends, despite external constraints.
Below are key events and trends shaping the venture market agenda as of January 29, 2026:
- The Return of Mega Funds and Major Investors. Leading venture firms are raising record amounts for new funds, saturating the market with liquidity and reigniting risk appetites.
- Record Rounds in AI and a New Wave of “Unicorns.” Exceptionally large deals are pushing startup valuations to new heights, particularly in the AI segment, leading to the emergence of many new “unicorns.”
- Revival of the IPO Market. Successful debuts of tech companies on stock exchanges and new listing applications confirm that the long-awaited “window” for public market entries has reopened.
- A Wave of Consolidation Through 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 being directed not only into AI but also into fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defense developments, crypto startups, and other promising areas.
- Local Focus: Russia and CIS Countries. Despite restrictions, new funds and programs to develop local startup ecosystems are being launched in the region, drawing investor attention.
The Return of Mega Funds: Big Money Back in the Market
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture arena—appetite for risk in the industry has noticeably increased. In recent weeks, several top funds have announced the closure of new mega funds. For instance, the American Lightspeed Venture Partners has raised around $9 billion (an unprecedented fundraising achievement for 2025), while other leading firms have also formed multibillion-dollar funds. After a period of quiet, Tiger Global is also making a comeback, targeting approximately $2.2 billion for its new fund—significantly less than previous amounts, reflecting a more cautious approach. Sovereign investors have also become more active: Gulf states are pouring billions of dollars into tech projects and launching their own startup support programs.
The Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, having recovered from earlier setbacks, is making substantial bets again. At the end of 2025, SoftBank invested about $40 billion in OpenAI. The return of such powerful financiers means hundreds of billions of dollars in “dry powder”—uninvested capital ready to work. These resources are already flowing into 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 sharpens the competition for the most lucrative deals but also instills confidence in the sector regarding the continued influx of capital.
Record AI Investments and a Surge of New “Unicorns”
The field of artificial intelligence remains the key driver of the current venture boom, demonstrating unprecedented volumes of funding. Investors are eager to secure positions at the forefront of the AI revolution, directing colossal resources into the most promising projects. In 2025, several companies secured multibillion-dollar funding rounds: OpenAI received about $40 billion at a valuation of approximately $300 billion, while its competitor Anthropic raised around $13 billion. Capital is being funneled not only into recognized leaders but also into new teams.
For example, the American startup Baseten, which is developing infrastructure for AI, raised about $300 million at a valuation of roughly $5 billion. Such infusions are rapidly expanding the “unicorn” club. In recent months alone, dozens of startups—from generative AI and specialized chips to cloud AI services—have crossed the $1 billion valuation threshold. Although experts warn of overheating risks, the appetite for venture capital in AI startups remains unshaken.
IPO Wave: The Window for Exits is Open Again
The global market for initial public offerings is reviving after a two-year hiatus, once again providing startups with opportunities to go public. In Asia, Hong Kong has initiated a new wave of listings: in recent months, several large tech companies have gone public, collectively attracting billions of dollars in investments. For instance, the Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi placed an additional share package worth approximately $4 billion, demonstrating that investors in the region are once again willing to actively support large placements.
The situation in the US and Europe is also improving: following the successful debuts of 2024-2025, more and more “unicorns” are preparing to go public. The American fintech giant Stripe, which had long postponed its IPO, now plans to list in 2026, riding on favorable market sentiment. Additionally, design platform Figma opted for a direct public offering instead of selling to a strategic investor and raised over $1 billion—its market capitalization soared subsequently. Even the crypto industry seeks to capitalize on the resurgence: fintech company Circle successfully conducted an IPO. Notably, giants like OpenAI and SpaceX are considering going public—these IPOs could become some of the largest in history. The resumption of activity in the IPO market is extremely important for the venture ecosystem: successful public exits return capital to investors and enable them to channel it into new projects.
Consolidation and M&A: Major Deals Reshape the Industry
High startup valuations and fierce competition for leaders are intensifying consolidation in the tech sector. Large corporations and highly valued late-stage “unicorns” are increasingly acquiring promising teams or merging with each other to accelerate growth. The year 2025 has seen a record number of such deals: the total value of venture M&A worldwide has approached historic highs, surpassing the boom levels of 2021 in the US. The culmination of this wave was Google’s acquisition of cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion—this is the largest venture acquisition in the industry’s history.
In addition to this record agreement, a series of multibillion-dollar acquisitions has taken place across various segments. Some of the largest recent deals include:
- Capital One acquired fintech platform Brex for approximately $5.15 billion;
- Crypto exchange Coinbase acquired its competitor—the derivatives exchange Deribit;
- Company IonQ purchased the British quantum startup Oxford Ionics.
The activation of the M&A market provides venture funds with new opportunities for profitable exits, while startups receive resources for scaling under the wing of larger partners. The consolidation of players through mergers accelerates the maturation of specific niches while simultaneously opening new niches for the next wave of teams.
Diversification of Investments: Not Just AI
The rise of 2025-2026 is characterized by an influx of capital into a wide array of sectors. After the downturn of previous years, funding for financial technology is regaining momentum: significant rounds are taking place not only in the US but also in Europe and emerging markets, fueling the growth of new fintech services. Simultaneously, in line with the global focus on sustainable development, interest in climate and environmental projects is growing—startups in renewable energy, energy storage, and carbon emissions reduction are attracting record investments. There is a renewed appetite for biotechnology: recent breakthroughs in medicine have inspired funds to finance large healthcare projects once again. Additionally, a partial restoration of trust in cryptocurrency markets has enabled some blockchain startups to secure investments once more.
Attention is also increasing towards defense technologies, space innovations, and robotics. In light of geopolitical challenges, investors are readily supporting projects in national security, aerospace startups, and innovations for the 4.0 industry. Below are the key areas, aside from AI, where venture investments are currently directed:
- Financial Technologies (Fintech): digital banks, payment platforms, online services;
- Climate and “Green” Projects: renewable energy, carbon emission reduction, eco-friendly infrastructure;
- Biotechnology and Medicine: development of new drugs, biomedical devices, digital healthcare;
- Defense and Space 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 trying to avoid past mistakes when excessive funding for a single trendy direction led to the emergence of market "bubbles."
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, startup activity is reviving in Russia and neighboring countries. In particular, announcements have been made regarding the launch of several new venture funds with a total volume of around 10-12 billion rubles, aimed at supporting early-stage tech projects. Local startups are beginning to attract serious capital: for example, the Krasnodar-based food tech project Qummy raised around 440 million rubles at a valuation of approximately 2.4 billion rubles. Additionally, the country has again allowed foreign investors to invest in local projects, gradually reviving interest from foreign capital.
Although the volumes of venture investments in the region are still modest compared to global figures, they are slowly growing. Some large companies are contemplating listing their tech divisions when market conditions improve—thus, VK Tech has publicly allowed for the possibility of an IPO in the foreseeable future. New state support measures and corporate initiatives are designed to provide an additional boost to the local startup ecosystem and integrate it into global trends.
Outlook: Cautious Optimism
The venture community enters 2026 with a mood of cautious optimism. Successful IPOs, mega rounds, and exits at the end of last year have shown that the downturn period is behind us; however, lessons from the recent past have been taken into account. Investors are now evaluating startup business models and their paths to profitability much more thoroughly, avoiding chasing growth at any cost. This disciplined approach helps prevent market overheating.
At the same time, key trends instill confidence in further growth. The window for IPOs, which was closed in 2022-2023, has now swung open, allowing mature companies to realize their public market ambitions. An active M&A market provides new exit opportunities for projects, while the emergence of new mega funds ensures capital is available to finance the next generation of startups. Macroeconomic risks remain, but venture investors are approaching this emerging upswing more prepared than before. The first weeks of 2026 confirm that the global startup ecosystem is gaining momentum. If positive trends continue, this year could bring further growth in venture investments and the emergence of new tech leaders.
