Current Startup and Venture Investment News as of February 12, 2026: Record Rounds in AI, Growth of the Global Venture Market, M&A Deals, IPO Preparations, and Key Trends for Investors and Funds
By mid-February 2026, the global venture capital market continues its robust recovery after a prolonged downturn. The start of the year was marked by impressive funding volumes: preliminary data indicates that January 2026 was one of the most productive months in the last two years for startup investments. Capital is once again flowing vigorously into the tech sector, with record-sized deals being made, and startups' plans for IPOs are back on the agenda. Major venture funds are launching mega-rounds and new funds, while governments and sovereign investors are strengthening support for innovations, eager to keep pace with the global tech race. This scenario is shaping a cautiously optimistic outlook for 2026, although investors remain discerning in project selection, demanding rigorous scrutiny of business models and valuations.
Mega Funds on the Move: Giant Rounds and Capital Concentration
After a period of relative quiet, the so-called "mega funds" have returned to the venture arena – vast pools of capital for investments in tech companies. For instance, American firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) recently raised over $15 billion for new funds, bringing its assets under management to record levels. These funds are targeting priority areas such as artificial intelligence, defense technologies, cryptocurrencies, biotech, and other promising sectors. Sovereign funds from the Middle East and large corporations are also ramping up venture activity: billions of dollars are flowing in through government programs and corporate venture units, creating a global influx of "big money" into the startup ecosystem.
The resurgence of activity among the largest players is accompanied by an unprecedented concentration of capital among sector leaders. Investors are inclined to place substantial sums into a limited number of top projects, aiming to capture stakes in potential technological breakthroughs. While the number of deals remains below the peak values of 2021, the average size of rounds has sharply increased. An increasing number of funding rounds are exceeding $100 million, indicating a new phase of market maturity where select startups have access to virtually unlimited capital.
The AI Startup Boom and Robotics: Record Investments in "Physical" AI
The artificial intelligence sector remains the primary driver of the current venture upsurge, with a shift in focus from simple software projects to "physical" AI and deep technologies. Startups in AI and robotics are attracting record funding rounds, setting new benchmarks for the market. For example, the autonomous driving division of Waymo raised approximately $16 billion in investments with participation from a consortium of leading funds – an unprecedented amount underscoring the enormous capital needs of self-driving technologies. AI model developer Anthropic, known for its breakthroughs in generative AI, garnered around $10 billion in funding, achieving a valuation of about $350 billion, effectively becoming one of the most valuable private companies in the world. New giants are also emerging: SoftBank led a $1.4 billion round in Skild AI, a startup developing a universal "brain" for robots, valuing it at around $14 billion.
Alongside the giants, younger projects are rapidly growing. Investors are willing to fund even very recent teams if they are operating at the cutting edge of technology. For instance, the American AI video startup Runway raised $315 million in a Series E round, achieving a valuation exceeding $5 billion just a few years after its founding. In Europe, local AI players are gaining strength: the German platform Parloa previously secured $350 million at a valuation of about $3 billion, while Belgian cyber startup Aikido Security became a unicorn in just two years. Such enormous funds directed towards AI and related industries reflect an intense global race among companies and countries for leadership in this field. The lion's share of venture dollars is currently flowing into AI projects and robotics, creating new market imbalances and heightened attention to infrastructure – from specialized chip manufacturing to data centers enabling computational power.
Consolidation in Fintech: Major Exits and Mergers
In the fintech sector, a wave of consolidation is unfolding, signaling the maturation of the fintech market. Several high-profile M&A deals were announced in January 2026. For instance, American bank Capital One agreed to acquire Brex (a corporate expense management platform) for $5.15 billion – marking the largest merger in history between a bank and a fintech company, highlighting traditional financial giants' desire to integrate cutting-edge fintech solutions. European investment fund Hg acquired the American financial platform OneStream for approximately $6.4 billion, buying out shares from existing shareholders. Concurrently, Deutsche Börse is purchasing the Allfunds platform for €5.3 billion to strengthen its position in WealthTech, while US Bancorp announced the acquisition of brokerage firm BTIG for around $1 billion.
Beyond the absorption of fintechs by major players, some startups themselves are acting as buyers, expanding their businesses through strategic acquisitions. For example, the Australian unicorn Airwallex is actively growing in Asia and other markets, recently acquiring the Korean payment company Paynuri to enhance its presence. A clear trend is emerging: as the industry matures, successful fintech companies either come under the umbrella of banks and corporations or grow through the acquisition of niche players. Increased activity in the M&A market demonstrates that venture investors are ready to realize profits through sales, with strategic investors willing to pay for technologies that help them maintain competitiveness.
Resurgence of IPOs: Startups Prepare for Public Listings
The market for initial public offerings (IPOs) of tech companies is gradually coming back to life after a prolonged pause. The year 2025 surprised analysts with a notable increase in the number of large IPOs: at least 23 companies went public in the US with valuations above $1 billion (compared to only 9 such listings the previous year), and the total market capitalization of these debuts exceeded $125 billion. Investors are once again willing to welcome profitable and fast-growing businesses to the public market, particularly if a company has a strong track record in AI or other "hot" technologies. The current market conditions are favorable for a further revival of IPO activity, and a number of "unicorns" are openly hinting at preparations for stock offerings. Among the most anticipated IPO candidates are:
- Leading Fintech Unicorns: Payment platforms Stripe, Plaid, and the UK neobank Revolut.
- Leaders in Artificial Intelligence: AI model developer OpenAI, big data platform Databricks, and Canadian AI startup for businesses, Cohere.
- Other Tech Giants: For example, space company SpaceX, if market conditions remain favorable.
Successful debuts of these companies in 2026 could provide an additional boost to the venture market, delivering significant returns to investors and validating valuation expectations. Of course, experts caution that volatility and external factors could suddenly close the "IPO window." Nevertheless, current examples of revived public offerings bolster belief that investors are ready to reward startups with strong growth and profitability metrics, and that the public market is once again capable of appropriately valuing technological innovations.
Defense and Cyber Startups in the Spotlight for Investors
Recent geopolitical tensions are directly influencing the priorities of venture investors. Riding the wave of competition among powers for technological independence, significant capital is being directed to startups related to defense and cybersecurity. In the US, the concept of American Dynamism is gaining traction – investments in companies that strengthen national security and the industrial base. Part of the funds from massive pools like the aforementioned a16z is specifically earmarked for defense and deep tech projects. Startups creating technologies for military and governmental needs are closing rounds worth hundreds of millions of dollars. A case in point is California-based Onebrief, which develops software for military planning: it raised around $200 million with a valuation exceeding $2 billion and also managed to acquire a relevant asset to expand its capabilities.
In Europe, governments and investment funds are also actively supporting the defense and security sector. According to industry analysts, European startups in the fields of defense, security, and resilience attracted about $8–9 billion in investments in 2025 – a record sum bolstered by the creation of specialized funds (such as NATO’s joint fund worth €1 billion). Such resources have allowed numerous projects to take off: in addition to the previously mentioned Aikido Security in the cyber domain, young companies analyzing satellite data, monitoring supply chains, and developing new means of intelligence and infrastructure protection are emerging. The trend towards supporting "dual-use" technologies (having both commercial and defense applications) is evident everywhere. Governments in the US, Europe, Israel, and elsewhere are eager to invest in or facilitate investments in startups capable of providing a strategic edge in new forms of confrontation.
Regional Highlights: The US Leads, Europe and Asia Follow
The upsurge in venture activity is global, although it is distributed unevenly across regions. The US remains the undeniable locomotive, accounting for the lion's share of the largest rounds, particularly in the AI and deep tech sectors. Silicon Valley retains its status as the main capital attraction hub, although competition for talent and deals is intensifying everywhere. In Europe, the landscape is being reshaped: continental hubs are ramping up venture investments while the role of the UK is relatively declining. By the end of 2025, Germany surpassed the UK for the first time in terms of startup investment volume, indicating a strengthening of Berlin and other European ecosystems. European institutions and governments (such as initiatives from France, the Scandinavian countries, and the EU) continue to launch programs that stimulate the emergence of local unicorns and the AI domain.
In Asia, dynamics are mixed. The Indian startup ecosystem has reached a new level of maturity: as early as January, the first "unicorns" of 2026 emerged, and successful IPOs of tech companies took place on local exchanges, reflecting the scale and potential of this market. Conversely, the Chinese venture market remains relatively subdued due to ongoing regulatory pressures and a redirection of capital towards domestic challenges. Nevertheless, Chinese investors are actively investing in overseas AI and semiconductor projects to remain aligned with the global technological trend. The Middle East and North Africa are showing an acceleration in venture activity: funds from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are increasing financing for tech companies within their region and globally, supporting fintech, cloud services, AI startups, and other areas. The startup movement is also gaining momentum in Latin America and Africa, although in absolute terms these regions lag behind the rest of the world. Thus, the venture boom is sweeping across continents, making the global innovation ecosystem more balanced and interconnected.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism and New Development Benchmarks
Despite the impressive surge in activity, investors in 2026 remain cautious, learning from the lessons of recent market cooling. The liquidity that has returned – from billion-dollar venture funds to revitalized IPOs – creates opportunities for significant growth, but simultaneously intensifies competition for outstanding projects. Funds and investors are now placing stricter requirements on startups: clear business models, economic efficiency, and transparent paths to profitability are expected. While valuations are rising again (especially in the AI segment), there is a growing focus on risk management and long-term portfolio sustainability.
It is likely that the venture capital industry will enter a phase of more balanced development in 2026. Funding for "breakthrough" sectors will continue – with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, climate technology, defense, and other promising areas. However, the influx of capital will be accompanied by a more rigorous selection of projects, heightened scrutiny on growth quality, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Such a prudent approach should help the market avoid overheating and lay the groundwork for sustainable innovation development in the long term.
