Global Startup and Venture Investment News for Sunday, February 1, 2026: Major Funding Rounds, Venture Fund Activity, Key Technological Trends, and Investment Priorities.
The beginning of 2026 continues the trend of revitalization in the global startup and venture capital market. Following a downturn in 2022-2023 and a surge in investments in 2025, major investors around the world are once again actively funding promising technology companies. Record-breaking venture capital deals are being made, and plans for startups to go public are becoming relevant once again. Leading players are returning with massive investments, while governments and corporations are strengthening support for innovation—significant private capital is once again flowing into startup ecosystems.
Venture activity is increasing across all regions. The USA retains its leadership (particularly thanks to a boom in investments in artificial intelligence), while on the Middle East, the volume of investments in startups has doubled over the year due to billion-dollar inflows from sovereign funds. In Europe, a shift has taken place: Germany has, for the first time, surpassed the UK in the number of venture deals. India, Southeast Asia, and the Gulf States are attracting record capital inflows, while investor activity in China has slightly decreased. Startup ecosystems in Russia and neighboring countries are striving to keep pace with global trends despite external constraints. As a result, a new early-stage venture boom is forming on the global stage, although investors remain selective and cautious about deals.
Below is an overview of key events and trends shaping the venture market as of February 1, 2026:
- The Return of Mega Funds and Major Investors. Leading venture firms are raising record-sized funds and sharply increasing investments, saturating the market with capital and heating up the appetite for risk.
- Record Rounds in AI and a New Wave of 'Unicorns.' Exceptionally large investment deals are elevating startup valuations to unprecedented heights, especially in the AI segment, leading to the emergence of numerous new 'unicorn' companies.
- Revival of the IPO Market. Successful public offerings of tech companies and new listing applications signal that the long-awaited 'window' for public placements is open once again.
- Sector Diversification. Venture capital is directed not only at AI but also at fintech, climate projects, biotechnology, defense developments, crypto startups, and other promising sectors.
- Wave of Consolidation and M&A Deals. Large mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments are reshaping the industry landscape, creating new opportunities for exits and accelerated growth for startups.
- Local Focus: Russia and the CIS. Despite constraints, new funds and initiatives are being launched in the region to support local startup ecosystems, attracting investor attention.
Mega Funds Return: Big Money Back on the Market
The venture market is triumphantly welcoming back major investment players, signaling a renewed appetite for risk. Over the past weeks, several top funds have announced record capital raises: the American firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) closed new funds at ~$15 billion (unprecedented for the industry), Lightspeed raised approximately $9 billion, and Tiger Global returned with a $2.2 billion fund. Sovereign funds from the Gulf have also become active, pouring billions into technology and launching mega projects to develop ecosystems. Japan's SoftBank, recovering from previous setbacks, has invested about $40 billion in OpenAI, making a significant bet on AI once again. As a result, venture funds have accumulated hundreds of billions of dollars in 'dry powder', filling the startup market with liquidity and supporting the upward growth of promising companies. The return of mega funds and major institutional investors intensifies competition for the best deals while instilling confidence in the sector regarding continued capital influx.
AI Investment Boom: Record Deals and New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector remains the main driver of the current venture boom. Investors are eager to position themselves at the forefront of the AI revolution and are willing to fund colossal rounds. In the early weeks of 2026, unprecedented deals have already been recorded even at early stages: for instance, the startup lab Humans& (USA), founded by top specialists from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, attracted around $480 million in seed funding—a record amount for a seed round. Another example is Ricursive Intelligence (USA), aimed at breakthrough AI, which received $300 million in a series A round with a valuation of ~$4 billion. Moreover, a new startup, Merge Labs, co-founded by OpenAI's Sam Altman for the development of brain-computer interfaces, reportedly received around $252 million in initial funding. As a result of this race, the 'unicorn' club is rapidly expanding: in the past few months alone, dozens of startups have crossed the threshold of a $1 billion valuation, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence and defense technologies.
IPO Market Revives: The Window for Exits is Open Again
The situation in the USA and Europe has also improved: following the first successful placements of 2025, more and more 'unicorns' are going public. The American fintech giant Chime debuted on Nasdaq, and its shares rose about 40% on the first day, strengthening investor confidence.
Now, potentially the largest IPO in history is on the horizon: Elon Musk's space company SpaceX plans an IPO in mid-2026, hoping to attract up to $50 billion at a valuation of around $1.5 trillion (almost double the record of Saudi Aramco in 2019). Among other highly anticipated IPOs are giants such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks — their outings could invigorate the market and attract widespread attention. The revival of activity in the IPO market is extremely important for the venture ecosystem: successful public exits return capital to investors, allowing it to be directed towards new projects.
Investment Diversification: Fintech, Climate Projects, Biotech, and More
In 2026, venture investments are covering an increasingly broad range of industries, reducing the market's dependence on a single trend. Following explosive growth in AI investments, investor attention is again shifting to other segments:
- Fintech: A revival of activity and large rounds in financial technology startups worldwide (from the USA and Europe to developing markets).
- Climate Technologies: Record investments in 'green' energy, agri-tech, and other eco-tech projects following the global focus on sustainable development.
- Biotech and Health: A renewed influx of capital into biotechnology, medical startups, and digital health amid scientific breakthroughs and a resurgence of investor trust in the sector.
- Defense and Aerospace Developments: Increased funding for startups in national security, defense, aerospace, and cybersecurity.
- Crypto Startups: A gradual return of interest in blockchain projects and cryptocurrency services as the digital asset market stabilizes.
Thus, venture capital in 2026 is being distributed across multiple niches, and funds are seeking growth opportunities not only in AI. The broadening sector focus represents more opportunities for a diverse range of startups, from finance and energy to medicine and defense.
Market Consolidation: Major M&A Deals Reshape the Landscape
High valuations of startups and fierce competition for technological leadership are leading to a wave of consolidation. Large corporations and mature 'unicorns' are increasingly acquiring promising teams or merging to accelerate growth and gain key technologies. Multi-billion dollar deals have already taken place: for example, Apple is acquiring the Israeli AI startup Q.ai for approximately $1.6 billion (one of Apple's largest purchases in recent times), Google is acquiring cybersecurity platform Wiz for a record $32 billion, and Capital One is acquiring fintech platform Brex for $5.15 billion. Such acquisitions and mergers are reshaping the industry landscape, allowing rapidly growing companies to scale under the wings of tech giants and providing venture investors with opportunities for long-awaited exits.
Russia and the CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external constraints, the startup environment in Russia and the CIS is also showing signs of revitalization, following global trends. The region has announced the launch of new venture funds with a total volume of around 10-12 billion rubles, aimed at supporting early-stage technology projects. Local startups are beginning to attract more substantial capital: for instance, the Krasnodar-based food tech service Qummy secured about 440 million rubles, while Motorica (a developer of modern rehabilitation means) raised over 800 million rubles from a private investor. Additionally, authorities have allowed foreign investors to reinvest in Russian startups, gradually restoring the interest of overseas capital. Venture investment volumes in the region remain modest compared to global figures but are steadily increasing. Several large technology companies are contemplating IPOs for their divisions as market conditions improve—VK Tech publicly indicated the possibility of an IPO in the foreseeable future. New state support measures and corporate initiatives are designed to provide additional impetus to the local startup ecosystem and integrate it into global trends.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Investor Optimism
Such a powerful start to the year fosters moderately optimistic sentiments in the venture industry. On one hand, record rounds and the emergence of new funds provide startups with access to capital, and successful IPOs confirm that the downturn period is behind. On the other hand, investors are still carefully selecting projects and tightening control over the performance of portfolio companies to ensure that the new upswing does not turn into overheating.
Importantly, the volume of available capital remains high: global venture funds are sitting on 'dry powder' amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars, ready for investment. These reserves can sustain the pace of innovation financing even with changes in the macroeconomic situation, intensifying competition for the best deals.
Certainly, risks remain: rising interest rates, geopolitical instability, and stock market volatility could dampen the appetite for risk. Nevertheless, the startup ecosystem enters 2026 with a buffer and cautious optimism. Venture investors and founders are hopeful that the market will continue to grow in the coming months—subject to reasonable project valuations and favorable external conditions.
