Global Startup and Venture Investment News for Tuesday, January 13, 2026: Continuation of the Venture Boom, Record Rounds in AI, IPO Revival, Wave of M&A, and Global Market Expansion. An Overview for Venture Investors and Funds.
By mid-January 2026, the global venture capital market is showing steady growth, leaving behind a period of decline. In the fourth quarter of 2025, over $100 billion was invested in technology startups, approximately 40% more than the previous year, making it the best quarterly result since 2021. The prolonged "venture winter" of 2022–2023 has ended, and private capital is rapidly returning to the tech sector. Major funds are once again actively investing in promising companies, and investors are willing to take risks for high potential returns. The industry is confidently entering a new phase of growth, although caution in project evaluations remains.
Venture activity is growing across all regions of the world. The United States leads the way, largely due to colossal investments in the field of artificial intelligence. In the Middle East, the volume of startup investments is sharply increasing due to generous funding from sovereign mega-funds. In Europe, leaders are reshuffling: Germany has surpassed the United Kingdom in the volume of venture deals for the first time in a decade, strengthening the positions of continental tech hubs. In Asia, growth is continuing to shift from China to India and Southeast Asia, compensating for a relative cooling of the Chinese market. Africa and Latin America are also making their mark— the first "unicorns" have emerged in these regions, underscoring the truly global nature of the current venture boom. Startup ecosystems in Russia and the CIS are striving to keep pace: with government and corporate support, new funds, accelerators, and programs aimed at integrating local projects into global trends are being launched in the region.
Below are key events and trends shaping the current agenda of the venture market as of January 13, 2026:
- Return of Mega Funds and Major Investors. Leading venture players are forming unprecedentedly large funds and increasing investments, again filling the market with capital and rekindling the appetite for risk.
- Record Rounds in AI and a New Wave of Unicorns. Colossal investments in artificial intelligence are driving company valuations to unprecedented heights and creating a wave of unicorn startups.
- IPOs Market Revival. Successful debuts of technology companies on stock exchanges and an increase in the number of listing applications indicate that the long-awaited "window of opportunity" for exits has reopened.
- Diversification of Venture Investments. Capital is being directed not only to AI but also to fintech, climate technologies, biotech, defense developments, and even crypto startups, expanding market horizons.
- Wave of Consolidation and M&A Deals. Major mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments are reshaping the industry landscape, providing investors with much-anticipated exits and accelerating company growth.
- Global Expansion of Venture Capital. The investment boom covers new regions—beyond the USA, Western Europe, and China, startups in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America are receiving significant funding.
- Local Focus: Russia and the CIS. Despite restrictions, new funds and initiatives are emerging in the region to develop local startup ecosystems, maintaining investor interest in local projects.
Return of Mega Funds and Major Investors: Big Money Back on the Market
The largest investment players are making a triumphant return to the venture arena— a sign of a renewed appetite for risk. The Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has announced the establishment of a third Vision Fund, amounting to approximately $40 billion, targeted at cutting-edge technologies (primarily artificial intelligence and robotics). Sovereign funds from Gulf countries are also becoming active, pouring billions into technology projects and launching extensive startup sector development programs—resulting in the formation of local tech hubs in the Middle East. Simultaneously, dozens of new venture funds are being established worldwide, attracting significant institutional capital for investments in high-tech sectors.
Renowned Silicon Valley firms are also reinforcing their presence. In the U.S., venture funds have accumulated unprecedented reserves of uninvested capital ("dry powder")—hundreds of billions of dollars are ready to be deployed as market confidence grows. Some prominent VC firms, which had previously slowed down, are returning with new mega-rounds. For instance, the Tiger Global fund, after a hiatus, has established a new fund worth $2.2 billion and promised a more selective, "modest" approach to investment. American giant Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has raised over $15 billion across five new funds—a record amount for the firm, equivalent to approximately 18% of all venture investments in the U.S. in 2025. The substantial influx of "big money" has notably invigorated the ecosystem: the market is once again becoming liquid, competition for the best deals is intensifying, and the industry is gaining the confidence it needs for the future inflow of capital.
Record Investments in AI and a New Wave of Unicorns
The field of artificial intelligence remains the main driver of the current venture boom, setting new records in terms of financing volume. Investors are eager to secure their place among AI market leaders, directing colossal funds towards the most promising startups. In recent months, a number of AI companies have attracted unprecedentedly large funding rounds. For example, OpenAI secured a record private round of around $40 billion (the largest in venture history), the infrastructure developer Anthropic received ~$13 billion in investments, and Elon Musk's xAI project attracted approximately $10 billion. These mega-rounds, often accompanied by multiple subscriptions from eager investors, confirm the hype surrounding AI companies.
Venture capital is flowing not only into applied AI services but also into the critical infrastructure for them. Investors are willing to finance even the "shovels and picks" of the new digital era—ranging from specialized chip manufacturing and cloud platforms to energy optimization solutions in data centers. Analysts estimate that the total volume of investments in AI startups exceeded $150 billion in 2025. The current investment boom is giving rise to a wave of new unicorns—startups valued at over $1 billion. Although experts warn of overheating risks, investor appetite for companies in the field of artificial intelligence remains robust.
IPO Market Revives: "Window of Opportunity" for Exits Open
The global market for initial public offerings (IPOs) is experiencing a long-awaited revival following a prolonged pause in recent years. Successful debuts of several major technology companies on stock exchanges in 2025 have shown that the downturn is behind us. For instance, the American fintech unicorn Chime had one of the most vibrant IPOs of the year: its shares surged over 30% on the first day of trading, bolstering investor confidence in new listings. The Asian region is leading the wave of listings—with several large startups in Hong Kong raising billions of dollars in the past weeks. Notably, the Chinese battery manufacturer CATL sold shares worth approximately $5.2 billion, reaffirming investors' willingness to actively participate in IPOs in eastern markets. Following in the footsteps of Asian companies, other well-known unicorns are also preparing to go public: the payment service Stripe is contemplating an IPO in late 2025, while 2026 is expected to see debuts from AI leaders (including OpenAI and Anthropic), as well as major fintech companies.
The revival of activity in the IPO market is crucial for the venture ecosystem. Successful stock market debuts once again provide funds with opportunities for lucrative exits, freeing up capital for new projects. The number of listing applications has significantly increased, and startups that had long delayed their public exit are eager to take advantage of the newly opened "window." Major new placements are expected in 2026. The enduring functioning of the "IPO window" instills optimism in the industry, although investors continue to carefully assess the fundamental indicators of companies going public.
Diversification of Venture Investments: Fintech, Climate, Biotech, and Beyond
Venture investments are no longer solely concentrated on artificial intelligence—capital is actively being directed across a wide range of sectors, making the market more balanced. Signs of recovery are evident in fintech: financial technologies are once again attracting significant capital due to adaptation to new regulatory conditions and AI integration (for instance, in payment services and neobanks). Interest in climate projects continues to rise: "green" technologies are receiving increasing support amid a global push for decarbonization—investors are funding innovations in renewable energy, emission reduction, and sustainable infrastructure.
- Fintech: financial services and platforms are regaining investors' attention, partly due to the introduction of AI in banking and payments.
- Climate Projects: "green" technologies are receiving record financing due to the global trend towards sustainable development (renewable energy, carbon footprint reduction, eco-friendly agritech).
- Biotechnology and Health: biotech is back in focus due to breakthroughs in medicine (new vaccines, gene therapy) and the application of AI in pharmaceuticals, attracting fresh rounds of investment.
- Defense and Aerospace Developments: geopolitical factors are driving growth in investments in military technologies, cybersecurity, space projects, and dual-use robotics—both from the government and private funds.
- Crypto Startups: despite volatility, the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector is receiving a new wave of investments, especially in infrastructure solutions and stablecoins (for example, the stablecoin platform Rain raised $250 million in a Series C round).
This expanded industry focus makes the venture market more resilient and diverse. The variety of sectors reduces the risk of overheating in any one segment and creates preconditions for more qualitative, balanced growth of the startup ecosystem in the long term. Investors receive more opportunities to find promising projects across various fields—ranging from finance and energy to medicine and defense—thus enhancing the overall effectiveness of investments.
Wave of Consolidation and M&A: Increasing Player Size
Against the backdrop of the industry-wide surge, consolidation has intensified: the number of significant mergers and acquisitions of startups sharply increased in 2025, reaching a peak in recent years. Tech giants and financial corporations are once again actively acquiring promising young companies, seeking to strengthen positions in strategic niches. The scale of deals is impressive: for instance, Google agreed to acquire the cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion—one of the largest purchases in the history of the tech sector. In the crypto-financial industry, a landmark deal took place: the South Korean exchange Upbit (operator of Dunamu) was acquired by the internet giant Naver for around $10 billion, marking the largest fintech exit in the region. Additionally, in late 2025, Meta announced a strategic purchase of a 49% stake in the American AI startup Scale AI for about $15 billion, aiming to secure access to essential technologies and talent in the field of artificial intelligence.
Consolidation spans a variety of segments—from fintech and healthcare to AI. Major players are acquiring startups to accelerate innovation and expand product lines. For venture investors, the wave of M&A signifies long-awaited exits (profits are realized through company sales rather than just through IPOs). For the startups themselves, integration into corporations opens access to extensive resources, a global customer base, and infrastructure, accelerating their growth. The increasing number of mergers and acquisitions indicates the maturity of specific market segments: the most successful companies are integrating into larger structures, while investors gain an additional route for capital return alongside public listings. Although some deals are driven by necessity (startups are seeking "rescue" through sales in light of difficulties in further autonomous growth), the overall trend towards consolidation adds dynamism to the venture market and creates new opportunities for all participants.
Global Expansion: New Centres of Venture Growth
The venture boom of recent months has acquired a truly global scale, spreading far beyond traditional tech centers. Countries outside the U.S. currently account for more than half of global venture investments—new growth points are emerging. The Middle East is rapidly transforming into a significant investment hub: funds from Gulf countries are investing billions in creating local tech parks and developing startup ecosystems. India and Southeast Asia are hitting records in the volume of venture deals, annually birthing new unicorns and attracting global investors. The tech landscapes of Africa and Latin America are also actively developing—startups in these regions have already achieved valuations exceeding $1 billion, making them new players on a global scale. Even in Europe, efforts are intensifying: national and corporate funds (for example, Bpifrance in France, High-Tech Gründerfonds in Germany) are investing tens of billions of euros in tech startups, seeking to nurture local tech champions and reduce dependence on foreign capital.
Thus, venture capital has become geographically distributed like never before. Promising projects can attract funding regardless of their country of origin if they demonstrate scaling potential. For investors, this opens new horizons: the search for high-yield opportunities is now conducted worldwide, and risks are diversified across various regions. The global expansion of the venture market fosters talent influx and knowledge exchange — the technological ecosystems of different countries are becoming increasingly interconnected, enhancing the innovation potential of the planet. Heightened competition for promising startups on a global scale ultimately stimulates project quality and creates more balanced conditions for the growth of new companies.
Russia and CIS: Local Initiatives Amid Global Trends
Despite external restrictions, startup activity is gradually reviving on a local level in Russia and neighboring countries. Although the total volume of venture investments in Russia has decreased in recent years, private investors and funds remain cautiously optimistic. In 2025, new funds with a total volume of tens of billions of rubles aimed at funding early-stage tech projects emerged in the region. Major corporations are also joining the process, launching their accelerators and venture divisions, while government programs provide grants and investments for startups. For example, in Moscow, one initiative has attracted about 1 billion rubles into local IT projects—an important signal of market support.
A shift in focus towards more mature and resilient companies is observed. Venture investors in Russia and the CIS are favoring startups with confirmed revenue and viable business models—those capable of growing even with limited influx of new capital. Easing some barriers has opened up investment opportunities from friendly countries, partially compensating for the exit of Western capital. Some large technology companies in the region are considering going public: discussions are underway regarding the IPO of individual IT subsidiaries of large holdings, which could breathe additional life into the local market as conditions improve. A new local venture ecosystem is gradually taking shape, relying on internal resources and regional players. The emergence of the first significant deals and new funds instills cautious optimism: even amid limited connectivity with global financial flows, the Russian and neighboring markets are laying the groundwork for future innovation growth.
Priority of Efficiency and Forecast: Discipline in Focus in 2026
By the end of 2025, the global startup market demonstrated a robust recovery. In North America, the total volume of investments reached a record ~$280 billion (an increase of 46% compared to the previous year), with about 60% of that amount going to companies employing AI technologies. Similar trends are observed in other regions. The influx of capital is accompanied by deal scaling: the overall number of rounds decreased by ~15%, but the share of mega-rounds has significantly increased. Late-stage financing has surged—investment in late-stage rounds increased by approximately 75%, reaching about $191 billion for the year.
- North America: ~$280 billion in investments in 2025—a peak figure in the last four years, primarily due to AI sector deals.
- Share of AI: more than half of venture capital was directed towards companies integrating artificial intelligence into their products.
- Late-Stage Boom: funding for large late-stage rounds increased by ~75%, reaching around $191 billion, reflecting investors' shift towards more mature projects.
- Focus on Sustainability: funds are placing heightened emphasis on capital efficiency and the speed of achieving profitability when selecting projects.
Experts predict that in 2026, interest in infrastructure technologies and the AI sector will remain high, and the market will continue to attract large rounds. At the same time, even amid overall optimism, a startup's success in 2026 will depend on prudent management and a solid business foundation. Investors are demanding discipline from companies, careful spending of raised funds, and clear execution of growth strategies. Thus, the new phase of the venture upswing is combined with lessons learned from previous years: to achieve success amid a wealth of opportunities, startups must maintain a focus on quality, efficiency, and sustainable development.
