Current Startup and Venture Investment News for December 3, 2025: Record AI Rounds, Global Fund Activity, M&A Deals, Technology Market Trends. Analytics for Investors and Venture Funds.
By the end of 2025, the startup and venture capital market is demonstrating steady growth. As of the third quarter, global venture investments exceed $100–120 billion, showing double-digit percentage growth year-on-year. Major funds and corporations are returning to large-scale funding of innovations, particularly in artificial intelligence and deep tech. New major unicorns are emerging, and promising tech companies are going public. At the same time, investors are diversifying their portfolios: in addition to IT and AI, there is increased funding for fintech, biotech, climate tech, and defense startups. Below are the main topics and examples of recent rounds.
- Returning Major Investors and Megafunds
- Record Investments in AI and Emergence of New Unicorns
- Revival of the IPO Market and Startup Public Offerings
- Industry Diversification: Fintech, Biotech, Climate, and Defense
- Consolidation and M&A Deals
- Geography of Investments: Asia, Middle East, Africa
- Interest in Crypto and Blockchain Startups
- Local Context: Russia and the CIS
Returning Major Investors and Megafunds
The largest venture and corporate investors are once again actively entering the market. SoftBank is forming Vision Fund III with approximately $40 billion for investments in AI and robotics, while Andreessen Horowitz is closing a record fund of around $10 billion (focused on AI infrastructure and high-growth companies). Sequoia Capital is preparing new seed and Series A funds totaling nearly $1 billion. Sovereign funds from the Gulf region (Mubadala, PIF) plan to direct multibillion-dollar investments into promising technologies. Major tech corporations (Google, NVIDIA, Samsung, Microsoft, etc.) are expanding their venture divisions, attracting startups in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors.
- SoftBank – Vision Fund III (~$40 billion for AI and robotics)
- Andreessen Horowitz – new fund of $10 billion (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, around two-thirds of all VC investments in 2025 are directed towards AI projects – approximately $160–200 billion. Generative AI and machine learning platforms are consistently attracting unprecedented rounds. For example, AI platform developers have secured 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)
Also in the list of largest deals are American companies Anthropic ($13 billion) and xAI ($10 billion) in Q3, while in Europe, French Mistral and British Nscale each raised $1.5 billion, indicating a global race for AI unicorns. As rounds increase in size, the number of unicorn startups (valuation $1+ billion) is steadily rising. Venture analysts note that the market for AI platforms and tools will continue to dominate even after the launch of GPT-4, attracting a significant portion of investor capital.
Revival of the IPO Market and Prospects for Public Offerings
Following a lull, a wave of IPOs and significant exits for technology startups is reviving. Funds expect that by 2026, several global unicorns (particularly in fintech and biotech) 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 becoming more active: strategic players are acquiring mature projects or merging with them to monetize technology. Collectively, these trends allow investors to expect exits and a partial recovery of liquidity in the market, which fuels interest in new funding rounds.
Industry Diversification: Fintech, Biotech, Climate, and Defense
Investors are broadening their focus from "pure" AI to other sectors. In fintech, investments are actively flowing into solutions for automating banking services and payments. For example, AI platforms Model ML (Australia) and Nevis (UK) attracted $75 million and $35 million respectively to automate investment banking and wealth management. The European payment platform Sokin raised €42.9 million for global transactions. In biotech, Swedish startup One-Carbon Therapeutics raised SEK 153 million (~$16.2 million) for cancer research. Climate and sustainable technologies are becoming priorities: investors are exploring projects aimed at reducing emissions, clean energy, and agri-tech. In the defense technology sector, German company Quantum Systems secured €180 million for the development of AI drones. Thus, venture fund portfolios today are balanced between AI and related industries – from fintech and biomedicine to eco-technologies and the defense industry.
- FinTech: Nevis ($35M, wealth management platforms), Model ML ($75M, generative AI for investment banking), Sokin (€42.9M, payment infrastructure).
- Biotech & Health: One-Carbon Therapeutics (Sweden, SEK153M for oncology); therapeutics and genomics startups.
- ClimateTech: clean energy, electric mobility, and carbon footprint reduction projects are receiving grants and venture rounds.
- DefenseTech: Quantum Systems (€180M) – autonomous combat drones with AI, along with cybersecurity and drone projects.
- IndustrialTech: robotics, internet of things, and manufacturing innovations are popular among industrial fund investors.
Consolidation and M&A Deals
The market is seeing a revival in mergers and acquisitions. Venture funds are consolidating, while large companies are purchasing technological startups to expand their portfolios. An example of consolidation is the merger of American funds CerraCap Ventures and Impact VC into a new global fund, CerraCap Impact VC, creating a unified 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: dozens of startups have been acquired for a total valuation of about $2.3 billion, with earlier round valuations nearly four times higher. This indicates 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 (new global VC platform).
- OpenAI acquired a stake in Thrive Holdings (Thrive Capital) to integrate its technologies into the accounting and IT services of large companies.
- Many AI and Web3 startups are currently exiting through M&A at a discount (~70%) to their latest valuations, reflecting the realization of overly optimistic assumptions.
- Funds and corporations are also forming joint CVC programs, aiming to scale innovations faster by acquiring talented teams.
Geography of Investments: Asia, Middle East, and Africa
Venture capital is actively entering new markets. In Asia, investment growth is particularly noticeable in China and Southeast Asia, where large tech startups are raising rounds in the hundreds of millions of yen and dollars. For example, Chinese company Robot Era raised around ¥1 billion (~$140 million) for robot development. In Southeast Asia, investors are funding fintech and insurance services – Thai online insurer Roojai received $60 million, while Indian real estate platform SquareYards secured $35 million. In Singapore and the Philippines, deep tech projects are emerging with rounds ranging from $10–50 million.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are becoming hubs for venture capital: fintech startup Erad raised $125 million in a credit line, while platform Revibe ($17 million) and housing construction service Mnzil ($11.7 million) received funding from international investors. In addition, infrastructure projects (housing complexes, energy, logistics) are being financed. In Africa, activity is growing 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 familiar capitals, with a focus on regional technology leaders.
- Asian market: Robot Era (China) raised ¥1 billion ($140 million), Roojai (Thailand) – $60 million (digital insurance), SquareYards (India) – $35 million.
- Middle East: Saudi fintech Erad – $125 million credit line, Revibe – $17 million, startup Mnzil – $11.7 million (Series A); regional infrastructure startups (Zinit, Strataphy, Buildroid AI) raised up to $8 million.
- Africa: startups in fintech, e-commerce, and clean energy are attracting foreign capital; the largest deals are coming from 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. The price of Bitcoin is holding near record levels (~$85–90 thousand), and in the US, the regulator is approving new products based on crypto-assets: by the end of the year, the launch of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs is expected. A major upgrade, Fusaka, is planned for the Ethereum network on December 3, 2025, to enhance scalability and security. The success of public offerings for crypto companies (ETFs, exchanges) is restoring investor confidence in the sector. Currently, DeFi projects, NFT infrastructure, and enterprise blockchain are securing rounds at high valuations. Experts warn that startups need to prepare for increased regulation, but overall interest in crypto technologies is rising.
Local Context: Russia and the CIS
The Russian startup market remains relatively small but is demonstrating growth. According to Venture Guide and ComNews, for the first 9 months of 2025, Russian tech companies attracted around $125.5 million in venture investments – 30% more than the previous year. However, the number of deals has fallen (103 vs 120 in 2024), and there is a scarcity of large rounds. The leading sector for investment in Russia continues to be 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 their leadership among technologies. Against the backdrop of the outflow of foreign capital, state institutions are attempting to support the ecosystem: "RUSNANO" and the Russian FPI plan to increase funding – RUSNANO plans to invest about 2.3 billion rubles in startups by the end of the year. However, significant international investors are still virtually absent from the Russian sector. In neighboring CIS countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus), government initiatives and small rounds ($1–5 million) in exchange for equity stakes continue.
- Investment volume in Russia (9 months 2025) – $125.5 million (+30% y/y); number of deals – 103 (−14%).
- Leading sectors 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 total investments).
- Government support: "RUSNANO" will invest ~2.3 billion rubles in domestic innovations by the end of 2025; similar programs are being implemented by the FPI and regional funds.
