Current Startup and Venture Investment News for December 3, 2025: Record AI Rounds, Global Fund Activity, M&A Deals, and Technology Market Trends. Analysis for Investors and Venture Funds.
By the end of 2025, the startup and venture capital market is showing solid growth. By the end of Q3, global venture investments exceed $100-120 billion, reflecting double-digit percentage annual growth. Major funds and corporations are returning to large-scale financing of innovations, particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence and deep tech. New major unicorns are emerging, and promising tech companies are going public. Investors are diversifying their portfolios: in addition to IT and AI, there is an increased focus on fintech, biotech, climate technologies, and defense startups. Below are the key topics and examples from recent funding rounds.
- The return of major investors and megafunds
- Record investments in AI and the emergence of new unicorns
- Revival of the IPO market and startups going public
- Diversification across industries: fintech, biotech, climate, and defense
- Consolidation and M&A deals
- Geography of investments: Asia, the Middle East, and Africa
- Interest in crypto and blockchain startups
- The local context: Russia and the CIS
The Return of Major Investors and Megafunds
Major venture and corporate investors are once again actively entering the market. SoftBank is forming Vision Fund III at ~$40 billion for investments in AI and robotics, while Andreessen Horowitz has closed a record fund of approximately $10 billion (focusing on AI infrastructure and rapidly growing companies). Sequoia Capital is preparing new seed and Series A funds totaling nearly $1 billion. Sovereign funds from the Persian Gulf (Mubadala, PIF) plan to allocate multibillion-dollar investments in promising technologies. Major tech corporations (Google, NVIDIA, Samsung, Microsoft, etc.) are expanding their venture divisions, attracting startups in AI, quantum computing, and semiconductors.
- SoftBank – Vision Fund III (~$40 billion for AI and robotics)
- Andreessen Horowitz – new $10 billion fund (AI infrastructure and scalable growth)
- Sequoia Capital – ~$750 million for Series A + $200 million for seed funds
- Sovereign funds (Mubadala, PIF, etc.) – multibillion-dollar investment programs
- Corporate VCs (Google, Microsoft, Samsung, etc.) – growth in venture activity
Record Investments in Artificial Intelligence and New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector continues to set the tone for venture investments. According to PitchBook/FT estimates, approximately two-thirds of all VC investments in 2025 have already been directed to AI projects – around $160-200 billion. Generative AI and machine learning platforms are regularly attracting unprecedented funding rounds. For example, developers of AI platforms have received the following amounts:
- Anysphere (Cursor platform) – $2.3 billion (Series D), valuation over $29 billion
- Lila Sciences (AI for scientific research) – $350 million (Series A)
- Sesame (voice AI) – $250 million (Series B)
- Hippocratic AI (AI for medicine) – $126 million (Series C)
Among the largest deals are American companies Anthropic ($13 billion) and xAI ($10 billion) in Q3, while in Europe, the French company Mistral and the British company Nscale each raised $1.5 billion, indicating a global race for AI unicorns. As rounds grow larger, the number of unicorn startups (valued at $1+ billion) continues to rise steadily. Venture analysts note that the market for AI platforms and tools will remain dominant even after the release of GPT-4, attracting a significant portion of investors' capital.
Revival of the IPO Market and Prospects for Exits
After a period of stagnation, there is a resurgence of IPO waves and significant exits for tech startups. Funds expect that by 2026, a number of global unicorns (such as in the fintech and biotech sectors) will go public in the US, Europe, or Asia. In 2025, fintech companies and biotech startups appeared on NASDAQ and LSE with successful placements, returning capital to venture investors. M&A deals are also picking up: strategic players are acquiring mature projects or merging with them in order to monetize technology. Overall, these trends allow investors to anticipate exits and a partial restoration of market liquidity, thus fueling interest in new funding rounds.
Diversification Across Industries: Fintech, Biotech, Climate, and Defense
Investors are expanding their focus beyond "pure" AI to other sectors. In fintech, investments in automated banking and payment solutions are thriving. For instance, AI platforms Model ML (Australia) and Nevis (UK) raised $75 million and $35 million, respectively, to automate investment banking and capital management. The European payment platform Sokin secured €42.9 million for global settlements. In biotech, the startup One-Carbon Therapeutics (Sweden) raised SEK 153 million (~$16.2 million) for oncology research. Climate and sustainable technologies are becoming priorities as investors explore projects aimed at reducing emissions, clean energy, and agrotech. In the defense tech sector, the German company Quantum Systems secured €180 million for developing AI-powered drones. Thus, venture portfolios today are balanced between AI and related industries, from fintech and biomedicine to eco-technologies and defense.
- FinTech: Nevis ($35M, platforms for wealth management), Model ML ($75M, generative AI for investment banking), Sokin (€42.9M, payments infrastructure).
- Biotech & Health: One-Carbon Therapeutics (Sweden, SEK153M for oncology); startups in therapeutics and genomics.
- ClimateTech: clean energy, electric mobility, and carbon footprint reduction projects are receiving funding and venture rounds.
- DefenseTech: Quantum Systems (€180M) – AI-powered autonomous combat drones and cybersecurity and drone projects.
- IndustrialTech: robotics, IoT, and manufacturing innovations are popular among industrial fund investors.
Consolidation and M&A Deals
The market is witnessing an increase in merger and acquisition deals. Venture funds are merging, and large companies are acquiring tech startups to broaden their portfolios. A notable example of consolidation is the merger of the US funds CerraCap Ventures and Impact VC into a new global fund, CerraCap Impact VC, creating a combined ecosystem for startups in AI, cybersecurity, and IT transformation. Analysts note that many M&A deals in AI and Web3 are occurring at significant discounts to previous valuations; over the past months, dozens of startups have been acquired for a combined value of about $2.3 billion, despite earlier funding round valuations being nearly four times higher. This suggests a wave of market rebalancing: strategic buyers are focusing more on actual profitability and technological comparability rather than the previous hype surrounding "yet-to-be-realized" technologies.
- Merger of CerraCap Ventures + Impact VC → CerraCap Impact VC (a new global VC platform).
- OpenAI acquired a stake in Thrive Holdings (Thrive Capital) to integrate its technologies into accounting and IT services for large companies.
- Many AI and Web3 startups are currently exiting via M&A at a ~70% discount to their last valuations, reflecting the realization of overly optimistic assumptions.
- Funds and corporations are also forming joint CVC programs, aiming to scale innovations more quickly by acquiring talented teams.
Geography of Investments: Asia, the Middle East, and Africa
Venture capital is actively entering new markets. In Asia, the growth of investments is particularly noticeable in China and Southeast Asia, where large tech startups are raising rounds worth hundreds of millions of yuan and dollars. For example, the Chinese company Robot Era raised about ¥1 billion (~$140M) for robot development. In Southeast Asia, investors are financing fintech and insurance services – Thai online insurer Roojai secured $60M, and Indian property platform SquareYards raised $35M. In Singapore and the Philippines, deep tech projects are emerging with funding rounds of $10-50M.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are becoming hubs for venture investments: the fintech startup Erad raised $125M in credit lines, while the platform Revibe ($17M) and housing construction service Mnzil ($11.7M) received funding from international investors. Infrastructure projects (residential complexes, energy, logistics) are also being financed. In Africa, there is increased activity in fintech and renewable energy: startups from Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are receiving funding from global funds. Thus, global venture capital is extending far beyond traditional capitals, with a focus on regional technology leaders.
- Asian market: Robot Era (China) raised ¥1 billion ($140M), Roojai (Thailand) – $60M (digital insurance), SquareYards (India) – $35M.
- Middle East: Saudi fintech Erad – $125M in credit lines, Revibe – $17M, startup Mnzil – $11.7M (Series A); regional infrastructure startups (Zinit, Strataphy, Buildroid AI) secured up to $8M.
- Africa: fintech, e-commerce, and clean energy startups are attracting foreign capital; the largest deals are occurring in South Africa and Nigeria.
Interest in Crypto and Blockchain Startups
After a prolonged correction, the crypto market is showing signs of revival, which is reflected in venture investments in Web3. Bitcoin prices are holding at record levels (~$85-90K), and in the US, regulators are approving new products for crypto assets: the launch of ETFs for Bitcoin and Ethereum is expected by the end of the year. On December 3, 2025, a major update called Fusaka is scheduled for the Ethereum network to improve scalability and security. The success of public offerings from crypto companies (ETFs, exchanges) is restoring investor confidence in the sector. Currently, DeFi, NFT infrastructure, and enterprise blockchain projects are receiving funding rounds at high valuations. Experts warn that startups need to prepare for increased regulation, but overall, interest in crypto technologies is growing.
The Local Context: Russia and the CIS
The Russian startup market remains relatively small but is demonstrating growth. According to Venture Guide and ComNews, in the first nine months of 2025, Russian tech companies attracted about $125.5 million in venture investments – 30% more than the previous year. However, the number of deals has declined (103 vs. 120 in 2024), and there is a shortage of large rounds. The leader in investments in Russia is traditionally IndustrialTech ($29.7 million), followed by Healthcare ($19.1 million) and FinTech ($18.3 million). Startups in AI and machine learning attracted about $60.4 million, maintaining leadership among technologies. Against the backdrop of the outflow of foreign capital, government institutions are attempting to support the ecosystem: "RUSNANO" and the Russian Direct Investment Fund plan to increase funding – RUSNANO aims to invest about 2.3 billion rubles in startups by the end of the year. However, major international investors are virtually absent in the Russian sector. In neighboring CIS countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus), government initiatives and small rounds ($1-5 million) continue in exchange for equity stakes.
- Investment volume in Russia (first 9 months of 2025) – $125.5 million (+30% YoY); number of deals – 103 (-14%).
- Leading industries by investments: IndustrialTech ($29.7M), Healthcare ($19.1M), FinTech ($18.3M).
- In technology, AI/ML leads: startups in this field received ~$60.4M (over 30% of all investments).
- Government support: "RUSNANO" will invest ~2.3 billion rubles in domestic innovations by the end of 2025; similar programs are being implemented by RDIF and regional funds.
