However, behind these record figures lies unprecedented polarization. Almost half of the world's venture capital has gone to just two companies—OpenAI and Anthropic—while the public debut of leading firms in the AI wave shows concerning dynamics following their listings. For venture funds, this is a two-speed market: euphoria at the top and tough selection for everyone else.
Key Topics in Venture Capital for Monday, August 3, 2026
- Record $510 billion in the first half of the year. Global venture investments in the first half of 2026 exceeded the total for 2025.
- Mega round for Safe Superintelligence. AI lab founded by Ilya Sutskever raised approximately $5 billion with backing from Nvidia—the largest deal of the past week.
- Concentration of capital. The "Big Four"—OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and Waymo—accumulated around $188 billion, with four of the five largest venture rounds in history closed in 2026.
- Cooling of AI IPOs. Shares of SpaceX and Cerebras are trading 30–35% below their debut prices, despite a record year for volumes of placements.
- Diversification of bets. Energy, nuclear fusion, humanoid robotics, and biotech are capturing an increasing share of capital.
Half a Trillion in Six Months: Venture Market Breaks Records
The statistics from the first half of the year reflect a new reality in the venture industry. Over $510 billion in global investments is not just a record, but a paradigm shift: the market has definitively moved from the "growth at any cost" phase of 2021–2022 to an era focused on infrastructure, defensible business models, and hard assets. In the U.S. alone, startups raised approximately $415 billion since the beginning of the year—twice the amount raised during the same period in 2025.
Artificial intelligence remains the driving force. Approximately 43% of global venture capital in the first half of the year went to just two companies—OpenAI and Anthropic. Collectively, the "Frontier Four" raised about $188 billion: OpenAI—around $122 billion, Anthropic—$30 billion, xAI—$20 billion, and Waymo—$16 billion. For the rest of the ecosystem, this means intensified competition for the remaining liquidity and a quickening hyper-specialization among funds.
Deal of the Week: Safe Superintelligence and $5 Billion from Nvidia
The main event of recent days has been the funding round for Safe Superintelligence—an AI lab founded by OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever. The company raised approximately $5 billion with participation from Nvidia, confirming the chipmaker's status as one of the main strategic investors of the AI era. The second-largest deal of the week was $1 billion for...
