Startup and Venture Investment News Update as of November 3, 2025: New Mega Funds, Record Rounds for AI Startups, M&A Transactions, and Green Technology Development. A Global Overview for Venture Investors.
As November 2025 approaches, the global startup and venture investment market demonstrates robust growth following the corrections of previous years. Investors from various countries are becoming increasingly active: significant deals are being signed, large funds are being launched, and tech trends—from artificial intelligence to climate innovations—are dictating investment strategies. Tech giants and sovereign funds are returning to the venture arena, stimulating a wave of M&A transactions and preparing companies for IPOs. Overall, there is a market revival and cautious optimism among investors.
- Return of Mega Funds: Leading investors are attracting record amounts of capital to create new funds (e.g., SoftBank Vision Fund III at $40 billion, enhanced resources from sovereign funds, etc.) and are gearing up for grand investments.
- Record Rounds in AI: Major investments are birthing new unicorns and even decacorns—valuations of AI startups have soared to unprecedented heights. Generative AI, robotics, and applied AI services for businesses are actively being financed.
- IPO Revival: Tech companies are updating their plans for going public. Successful listings of chip and software producers have restored investor confidence and created a "window of opportunity" for new offerings.
- M&A Transactions: Industry consolidation has intensified: large corporations are acquiring promising startups. Major players are using acquisitions to strengthen their positions and optimize R&D costs.
- Green Technologies: Interest in climate and environmental startups is growing rapidly. Projects related to clean energy, green hydrogen, recycling, and agtech are attracting increasingly larger investments.
- Regional Trends: Investments are rapidly increasing in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Local ecosystems in the CIS are developing based on government support programs; innovation hubs are emerging in Africa and Latin America.
Record Investments in Artificial Intelligence
Investments in artificial intelligence startups continue to set new records. By the end of Q3 2025, over $100 billion was directed toward AI projects (approximately half of all venture investments). Tech leaders are demonstrating impressive results: NVIDIA's market valuation surpassed $5 trillion, reflecting the demand for its AI chips. Investors are now confident that the AI "bubble" is grounded in reality: annual sales of AI-based products and services are growing at double-digit rates.
- Anthropic (USA): raised approximately $13 billion in Series D with participation from leading funds, making it one of the most valuable AI startups in the world.
- Cruise (USA): an AI data center service completed Series E at $1.375 billion with a valuation exceeding $10 billion, entering the ranks of new decacorns.
- Mercor (USA): an AI recruiting platform concluded Series C at $350 million with an approximate valuation of $10 billion, demonstrating rapid growth.
- Synthesia (USA): an AI avatar video generation service secured $200 million (Series C) and approached a valuation of $4 billion, expanding its global presence.
- Valthos (USA): an AI biosecurity startup received $30 million in a seed round (led by the OpenAI Startup Fund) to protect against AI-related threats.
Mega Rounds and New Venture Funds
The activity of large funding rounds remains at a record high: transactions over $100 million accounted for over 60% of the investment volume in Q3. Leading funds are expanding their strategies: Sequoia Capital launched new $950 million (including $200 million for seed funding), while Andreessen Horowitz announced its fifth multi-billion fund. Sovereign funds from the Persian Gulf are also increasing their budgets—investments in technology amount to tens of billions of dollars. As a result, "dry powder" (reserve capital) for startups remains at an unprecedentedly high level, creating potential for new record transactions.
Tech Giants and Corporate Investments
Large IT corporations and industrial firms are ramping up support for startups. Meta has scheduled record expenditures on data centers and AI—over $70 billion in 2025—and invested $14.3 billion in the Israeli AI startup Scale AI to develop its own models. Furthermore, Meta's revenue is growing at an accelerating pace (+26% in Q3), justifying such investments. Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are also increasing their spending on AI infrastructure and R&D. Automotive companies (GM, Toyota) are creating venture funds to invest in startups focused on autonomous driving and electric vehicles. This indicates that venture capital is flowing into the sector not only from traditional funds but also from the largest corporations, adding additional dynamics to the market.
Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)
At the same time, the activity of large M&A deals is increasing. For instance, American chipmakers Skyworks Solutions and Qorvo completed a merger valued at approximately $22 billion, combining technologies for 5G and IoT. Major companies in the crypto and fintech sectors are also making acquisitions: Coinbase is negotiating the purchase of the infrastructure provider BVNK (~$2 billion) to expand its stablecoin services, while Mastercard plans to acquire the startup Zerohash (~$1.7 billion) to strengthen its blockchain initiatives. In the defense and aerospace sector, corporations are partnering with startups: Northrop Grumman teamed up with a new space project to develop satellites equipped with AI systems. All these deals illustrate the intense consolidation of the industry.
- Coinbase: negotiating the purchase of stablecoin provider BVNK (~$2 billion) to expand crypto services.
- Mastercard: plans to acquire Zerohash (~$1.7 billion)—a blockchain infrastructure startup.
- Skyworks + Qorvo (USA): $22 billion for the merger of RF chip leaders for 5G/IoT.
- Northrop Grumman: partnership with a startup in space related to AI satellites.
Technological Trends and New Niches
- Robotics and Automation: major rounds are being secured by robotics startups. Apptronik (USA) raised approximately $400 million for its industrial humanoid robot "Apollo," Galaxy Bot (China) secured $154 million for domestic robots, and Neuralink (USA) raised $650 million for the development of neurointerfaces and medical robots.
- Environmental and Biotechnology: climate and bioinnovation startups are attracting growing investor interest. Israeli Stardust Solutions raised $60 million for geoengineering (sunlight reflection), British PACT secured £16 million for biomaterials (an alternative to leather), and German Hydgen raised $5 million for compact "green" hydrogen generators. Additionally, Merge Labs (USA) secured $250 million for a ultrasonic neurointerface for "reading thoughts" (a startup led by Sam Altman).
- Cryptocurrencies and Fintech: despite volatility, large projects continue to thrive. Coinbase and Mastercard (as mentioned above) demonstrate the merging of crypto instruments with traditional finance. French FAKTUS and Austrian Saturn received tens of millions of euros to develop embedded payments and digital banking services.
- Space Technologies: investments in SpaceTech are hitting record highs (~$3.5 billion in Q3 2025, according to Reuters). Chinese Galactic Energy raised $336 million, while Hadrian, Apex, and Hermeus secured large defense space deals in the USA. The market is maturing; a broader range of projects, beyond just "star" leaders (like SpaceX, OneWeb, etc.), is being financed.
Regional Features
- USA: remains the leading venture market, especially in AI, robotics, and biotech, due to its mature startup and fund ecosystem.
- Europe: interest in deep-tech and green startups is growing (with EU support). Germany has surpassed the UK in terms of investment volume for the first time in years.
- Asia: India and Southeast Asia are demonstrating record investment growth; in China, there is a decline due to regulations, but local initiatives for AI development are strengthening.
- Middle East: sovereign funds are doubling their investments in tech innovations and building their own hubs (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) for startups.
- Russia and CIS: despite sanctions, the venture ecosystem is slowly reviving. In the first half of 2025, Russian startups raised $80–90 million (an approximate increase of 90%), particularly in AI, industrial IoT, and green technologies.
Outlook
In summary, the global startup ecosystem is on the rise, but investment focus is centered on tech leaders. Capital is directed toward the most promising industries (AI, clean energy, bioinnovation, etc.), while smaller projects receive selective funding. Investors maintain moderate optimism: the market is poised for further growth; however, careful attention is given to company valuations. It is expected that large IT firms will continue to prepare for IPOs, while the wave of M&A transactions will remain high, providing investors with opportunities to exit projects.
