Startup and Venture Investment News for Monday, February 9, 2026: Major Rounds, VC Activity, AI Startup Growth, Fintech and Biotech, Key Trends in the Global Venture Market.
By early February 2026, the global venture capital market is confidently recovering after the downturn of recent years. Preliminary estimates suggest that 2025 was nearly a record year for investments in startups, slightly trailing the peak levels of 2021-2022. Private capital is once again pouring into the tech sector: investors around the world are actively funding promising companies, closing unprecedented deals, and IPO plans are back on the table. Major players in the venture industry are launching new massive funds and investment programs, with governments and corporations ramping up support for innovation. As a result, at the start of 2026, the venture market demonstrates positive dynamics, instilling cautious optimism – even as investors remain selective in their evaluation of projects and business models.
The rise in venture activity is global, though it is unevenly distributed. The United States remains the locomotive, accounting for the lion's share of large rounds, particularly in the area of artificial intelligence. Europe continued to see investment growth: in 2025, Germany surpassed the UK for the first time in a decade in terms of total venture capital raised, solidifying the positions of European tech hubs. In Asia, the dynamics are mixed: the Indian ecosystem has reached a new level of maturity (with the emergence of the first "unicorns" of 2026 in January and the revival of notable local IPOs), whereas in China, venture activity remains suppressed due to regulatory constraints and a shift in focus to domestic priorities. In contrast, the Middle East is witnessing a boost: funds from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are pouring billions into tech companies – both in their region and globally – betting on fintech, cloud services, and AI. The startup ecosystems in Russia and neighboring countries are also striving to keep pace, launching local funds and support programs, although the volumes of venture investments there remain significantly smaller. Thus, the new venture upturn is genuinely global in scale, covering most regions.
Here are the key trends shaping the venture market agenda as of February 9, 2026:
- The Return of Megafunds and Large Investors. Leading venture firms are raising record-sized funds and dramatically increasing investments, once again saturating the market with capital and igniting a risk appetite.
- Record AI Megarounds and a New Wave of Unicorns. Historically large investments in the AI sector are elevating startup valuations to unprecedented heights, giving birth to dozens of new unicorns with billion-dollar valuations.
- Climate Technologies and Energy Attract Megadeals. The sustainable energy sector and climate tech are coming to the forefront, thanks to multimillion and even billion-dollar funding rounds worldwide.
- Fintech Consolidation and a Wave of M&A. Mature fintech players are becoming targets for multibillion-dollar acquisitions, while some unicorns are expanding through strategic purchases.
- Revival of the IPO Market. Initial public offerings of tech companies are once again in the spotlight: successful IPOs inspire new candidates to prepare for the public markets, confirming the opening of the long-awaited "window" for exits.
- Focus on Defense, Space, and Cyber Startups. Venture funds are reallocating capital into strategic sectors – from defense and space to cybersecurity – in response to new geopolitical challenges.
- Revival of Investment in Biotech and Digital Health. After a protracted downturn, the biotech and medical technology sector is attracting significant capital again, buoyed by successful deals and scientific breakthroughs in recent months.
The Return of Megafunds: Big Money Back in the Market
The largest investment players are triumphantly returning to the venture market, signaling a renewed appetite for risk. Global funds are announcing unprecedented capital raising rounds. For example, the American firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) raised over $15 billion across several new funds, bringing the total assets under management to record heights. Japan is also keeping pace: SoftBank launched its third Vision Fund of about $40 billion while simultaneously enhancing its presence in the AI sector (at the end of 2025, SoftBank invested $22.5 billion in OpenAI – one of the largest single investments in startup history). Other major players have also topped up their "piggy banks": Lightspeed Venture Partners closed new funds totaling over $9 billion (a record in the firm's 25-year history), and Tiger Global, having recovered from recent losses, re-entered the market with a $2.2 billion fund, reaffirming its ambitions.
The influx of such "big capital" fills the market with liquidity and heightens competition for the most promising deals. Sovereign wealth funds from Gulf states and government institutions worldwide are also pouring billions into tech projects, forming new megafunding platforms for innovation. Estimates suggest that the total amount of dry powder available to investors is already in the hundreds of billions of dollars and ready for deployment as market confidence strengthens. The return of such substantial sums reaffirms the investment community's faith in the continued growth of the tech sector and the desire not to miss the next major technological breakthrough.
The AI Startup Boom: Megarounds and New Unicorns
The artificial intelligence sector remains the primary driver of the current venture surge, showcasing record funding volumes. Investors are eager to position themselves at the forefront of the AI revolution and are prepared to invest colossal sums in race leaders. Already in the first weeks of 2026, hyper-scale deals have been announced. For instance, Waymo (Alphabet's autonomous division) secured approximately $16 billion in new capital with an estimated valuation of around $126 billion, becoming one of the most valuable startups in history. Elon Musk's startup xAI attracted roughly $20 billion in investments, with strategic participation from Nvidia – a phenomenal figure for a private tech company. Industry leader OpenAI is reportedly negotiating to raise up to $100 billion with a valuation of around $800 billion – such a massive private round has not been seen in the world before (discussions involve SoftBank, as well as corporations like Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, and Middle Eastern funds). Not to be outdone, OpenAI's competitor Anthropic is said to be targeting up to $15 billion at a valuation of about $350 billion.
Riding the wave of excitement, new unicorns are rapidly multiplying: just in recent months, dozens of companies worldwide have surpassed the $1 billion valuation. In the U.S., super-fast unicorn status is achieved by projects in generative AI – from video services to voice assistants. For example, companies Higgsfield and Deepgram became unicorns in less than two years thanks to successes in generative video and speech. Europe also recorded significant AI rounds (e.g., the German platform Parloa attracted around $350 million at a ~$3 billion valuation), confirming the global nature of the AI boom. Investor appetite for the AI sector remains strong, although experts warn of overheating risks and inflated expectations. Notably, venture capitalists are now actively investing not only in applied AI products but also in the infrastructure for them – from powerful chips and data centers to security and control systems. Such a massive capital influx accelerates industry progress but compels market participants to closely monitor the viability of business models to ensure that the current euphoria does not shift into a sharp cooldown.
Climate Technologies and Energy: Megadeals on the Rise
Amid the global transition to sustainable energy, significant capital is also flowing into climate technology. In 2025, the total amount of funds raised by specialized climate venture funds exceeded $100 billion (with a substantial portion collected by funds in Europe), signaling unprecedented investor interest in "green" innovations. Large private funding rounds worth hundreds of millions of dollars in this sector have become commonplace. For instance, American startup TerraPower, developing compact nuclear reactors, raised around $650 million, while Helion Energy secured $425 million for the creation of the first commercial nuclear fusion reactor. Moreover, in January, the Austin, Texas-based project Base Power, developing networks of home battery systems and “virtual power plants,” attracted about $1 billion (Round C) at a valuation of ~$3 billion, becoming one of the largest deals in climate tech history.
Venture funds are increasingly betting on solutions capable of accelerating the decarbonization of the economy and fulfilling the growing global demand for energy. Major investments are directed towards energy storage, new types of batteries and fuels, electric mobility, carbon capture technologies, and “climate fintech” – platforms for trading carbon credits and insuring climate risks. While climate and energy projects were once deemed too risky for VCs (due to long payback periods), both private and corporate investors are now prepared to play the long game, anticipating substantial returns from innovations in this sector. Sustainable technologies are firmly establishing themselves among the priority directions of the venture market, gradually bringing the “green” transition of the global economy closer.
Consolidation and M&A: Player Size Increases
A new wave of consolidation has unfolded in the financial technology sector, signaling the maturation of the fintech market. Major banks and investors are eager to integrate advanced fintech solutions – as a result, several high-profile deals were announced in January 2026:
- Capital One agreed to acquire fintech startup Brex (a corporate expense management platform) for approximately $5.15 billion. This acquisition is the largest "bank-fintech" deal in history, underscoring traditional financial giants’ pursuit to implement innovations.
- The European fund Hg Capital is acquiring the American financial platform OneStream for approximately $6.4 billion, purchasing stakes from previous investors (including KKR).
- The exchange operator Deutsche Börse has announced the purchase of the investment platform Allfunds for €5.3 billion to strengthen its positions in WealthTech.
- American bank US Bancorp is acquiring brokerage firm BTIG for about $1 billion, expanding its presence in the investment services market.
- Apart from acquisitions by corporations, fintech unicorns are also venturing into purchasing. For instance, Australian payment service Airwallex, boasting unicorn status, is strengthening its business in Asia by acquiring Korean fintech company Paynuri (deal amount undisclosed).
Notably, consolidation extends beyond just fintech: tech giants are also willing to spend tens of billions to stay competitive in the race. For instance, Google is pushing a record deal to acquire Israeli cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $32 billion – one of the largest startup acquisitions in history. This surge in mergers and acquisitions signals that as the industry matures, successful startups are either being taken under the wings of larger players or are increasing their influence through strategic acquisitions themselves. For venture investors, this trend means new opportunities for profitable exits, and for the market as a whole, it signifies the consolidation of key players and the emergence of multi-product platforms based on acquired projects.
The IPO Market Revives: Startups Return to the Exchange
After a lengthy pause, the global market for initial public offerings of tech companies is confidently reviving. The year 2025 surpassed analysts' expectations in terms of high-profile IPOs: in the U.S. alone, at least 23 companies with valuations exceeding $1 billion went public (compared to just 9 such debuts the previous year), with the total market capitalization of these offerings exceeding $125 billion. Investors are again ready to welcome profitable and rapidly growing companies to the public markets, particularly if the startup has a strong narrative linked to AI or other "hot" technologies. At the end of 2025, successful debuts of fintech giant Stripe and neobank Chime (whose shares rose approximately 40% on the first trading day) restored confidence and effectively opened a new "window of opportunities" for IPOs.
In 2026, this trend is expected to continue: several major startups are already subtly hinting at preparations for stock offerings. Among the most anticipated IPO candidates are:
- Major fintech unicorns: payment platforms Plaid and Revolut;
- Leaders in AI: AI model developer OpenAI, big data analytics platform Databricks, and corporate AI startup Cohere;
- Other tech giants, such as space company SpaceX (if market conditions prove favorable).
The successful public exits of these companies could provide additional momentum to the market, although experts remind that volatility could suddenly close the current "IPO window." Nevertheless, the increased activity of startups on the exchange reinforces the belief that investors are ready to reward companies with strong growth and profitability metrics, while venture funds gain long-awaited opportunities for significant exits.
Defense, Space, and Cyber Startups in the Spotlight
Geopolitical tensions and new risks are shifting venture investors’ priorities. In the U.S., the American Dynamism trend is gaining momentum – investments in technologies related to national security. Notably, part of the funds from the aforementioned new megafunds (such as a16z) is directed towards defense and deeptech projects. Startups developing solutions for the military, space, and cybersecurity are increasingly attracting nine-figure sums. For example, California-based Onebrief, which creates software for military planning, recently received approximately $200 million in investments at a valuation exceeding $2 billion and even acquired a smaller specialized startup to expand its platform capabilities. Meanwhile, specialized players are also gaining weight: for example, Belgian startup Aikido Security, offering a code and cloud service cybersecurity platform, reached a unicorn valuation (~$1 billion) in less than two years of development.
Such successes reflect the market's growing demand for technologies that ensure defense and cybersecurity. Investments are being directed toward everything – from supply chain protection (for example, the British project Cyb3r Operations raised ~$5 million for monitoring cyber risks) to the latest satellite reconnaissance tools. Furthermore, support for defense and space startups is bolstered not only by private funds but also by governmental programs in the U.S., Europe, Israel, and several other countries seeking to gain a technological edge. Thus, dual-use technologies related to security have firmly established themselves as a focus in the venture market alongside traditional commercial projects.
The Revival of Investment in Biotech and Digital Health
After several tough years of "biotech winter," there are signs of warming in the Life Sciences sector. Major deals in late 2025 have restored investor confidence in biotech: pharmaceutical giant Pfizer agreed to acquire Metsera (developer of obesity drugs) for roughly $10 billion, while AbbVie announced the acquisition of cancer drug developer ImmunoGen for about $10.1 billion. These acquisitions confirmed that the demand for promising drugs remains high. Against this backdrop, venture investors are once again ready to fund biotech startups with significant sums. At the beginning of 2026, the first signs of a funding revival emerged: American startup Parabilis Medicines, which is developing innovative cancer drugs, raised around $305 million – one of the largest rounds for the industry in recent times.
Market experts note that in 2026, the Biotech/MedTech segment may gradually emerge from crisis. Investors are diversifying their investments, looking not only at traditional areas (oncology, immunology) but also at new niches – gene editing, therapies for rare diseases, neurotechnologies, and medical AI solutions. A surge in mergers and acquisitions in the biopharma sector is expected, as major pharmaceutical companies are experiencing a "hunger" for new products ahead of patent expirations. While the IPO market for biotech has not fully recovered yet, large late-stage rounds and strategic deals are providing startups in this space with the necessary capital to advance their developments. Thus, biotechnology and healthcare are once again among the attractive directions for venture investments, promising significant growth potential for investors—provided the projects are scientifically sound.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism and Sustainable Growth
Despite the rapid rise in venture activity at the beginning of the year, investors maintain a degree of caution, recalling the lessons of the recent market cooldown. Capital has indeed begun to flow again into the tech sector, but the criteria for startups have tightened significantly: funds expect clear business models, economic efficiency, and well-defined paths to profitability from teams. Company valuations are rising again (especially in the AI space), but investors are increasingly focused on diversifying risks and the long-term sustainability of their portfolios. The return of liquidity—from billion-dollar venture funds to new IPOs—creates opportunities for substantial growth while simultaneously intensifying competition for standout projects.
With a high degree of probability, the venture capital industry is expected to transition into a phase of more balanced development in 2026. Funding for breakthrough areas (AI, climate technologies, biotech, defense, etc.) will continue, but greater emphasis will be placed on the quality of growth, transparency in management, and compliance of startups with regulatory requirements. This more measured approach should help the market avoid overheating and lay the groundwork for sustainable innovation development in the long term.
