Venture Pulse Q1 2026: Global Analysis of Venture Funding (KPMG Private Enterprise)
SaveSummary
- VC-backed companies raised $330.9 billion across 8,464 deals globally.p.4
- Global VC investment climbed from $128.6 billion to $330.9 billion, on the back of a $122 billion raise by OpenAI.p.5
- US VC-backed companies raised $267.2 billion across 3,336 deals.p.19
- In Europe, VC investment rose from $23.4 billion to $25.7 billion, while Asia rose from $26.2 billion to $33.6 billion.p.5
- VC investment in the Americas reached a new record high of $270.1 billion.p.35
- The acquisition of xAI by SpaceX for $250 billion drove record M&A deal value in the US.p.21
Key insights
- Five US-based companies together accounted for $188.6 billion of total global VC investment.p.2
- Anthropic raised $30.6 billion, xAI raised $20 billion and Waymo raised $16 billion in the US.p.20
- US fundraising reached $47.8 billion, with funds over $1 billion driving most of the total raised.p.20
- Even without the OpenAI round, US VC funding would have reached a new record.p.20
- The Americas saw 66 new unicorn births, compared to 44 new unicorns in the prior quarter.p.36
- Databricks raised $7 billion, Polymarket $2.6 billion and Shield AI $2.25 billion among the top global financings.p.18
- The conflict in the Middle East brought the US IPO market to a grinding halt.p.6
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