When you’re asking for startup funding news, here’s the bottom line: global venture capital surged in 2025, fuelled by massive AI investments and blockbuster rounds — think OpenAI’s $40 billion raise. Meanwhile, February 2026 saw Waymo’s staggering $16 billion raise topping the charts, with billions also flowing into AI hardware, aerospace, climate tech, and robotics. Venture dynamics vary by region, but the overall trend is bold, tech-driven growth.
2025 in Review: Record-Breaking Funding
Venture capital made a dramatic return in 2025. Global funding climbed to roughly $425 billion, up about 30 percent from 2024’s $328 billion . That makes 2025 the third-biggest year ever recorded for startup investment.
AI dominated the scene, accounting for roughly half of all funding — close to $211 billion, an 85 percent increase year over year . A small group of AI giants like OpenAI, Anthropics, Scale AI, Project Prometheus, and xAI alone pulled in around $84 billion .
Additional milestones included OpenAI’s historic $40 billion raise, SpaceX’s $800 billion valuation, and Google’s $32 billion acquisition of Wiz .
February 2026: AI and Auto Take Center Stage
Waymo’s Record-Breaking Raise
At the very start of February 2026, Waymo stunned the market with a $16 billion raise, valuing the autonomous driving pioneer at $126 billion — likely the largest private tech funding round ever .
AI Infrastructure & Hardware Surge
Other notable funding:
Cerebras Systems: Raised $1 billion in Series H at a $23 billion valuation. They’re developing wafer-scale AI chips, signaling investors’ renewed faith in specialized hardware .
Bedrock Robotics: $270 million secured to build foundation models for robots to learn real-world tasks, valued around $1.75 billion .
Beyond AI: Aerospace, Weather, and Climate
CesiumAstro: Raised $270 million to scale spacecraft antenna systems, underpinning satellite and UAV communication infrastructure .
Tomorrow.io: Took in $175 million to grow its weather intelligence platform, using its own satellite constellation to offer advanced weather APIs to industries like logistics and insurance .
Europe & U.S. Regions: Divergent Trends
Europe’s Tech Boom
In 2025, Europe reached a post-pandemic high of €66 billion in venture investment, up 5 percent year over year . AI startups grabbed €23.5 billion — 35 percent of the total — up from €17.7 billion . Defence tech also surged, with €8.7 billion invested, rising 55 percent .
Standouts include:
- Synthesia: $200 million raise at a $4 billion valuation.
- ElevenLabs: $500 million secured at an $11 billion valuation.
- Legora: In talks to more than double its valuation to $4 billion .
North Carolina’s Dip
In the U.S., North Carolina startups raised $2.3 billion in 2025 — a 40 percent drop from the year before, largely because Epic Games didn’t raise funds that year . Yet, investments remain robust compared to 2015 levels (54 percent above), and VC activity in biotech and software remains resilient .
VC Fundraising & Macro Trends
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is preparing to raise about $10 billion for new tech investments — partitioned among mature companies, AI applications, AI infrastructure, and a defense-focused “American Dynamism” fund .
Crunchbase Data Highlights: In 2025, the U.S. absorbed roughly $274 billion in startup capital, making up 64 percent of global VC — up from 56 percent in 2024 .
Weekly Highlights: Feb 2–8, 2026
The FundBat weekly roundup captured a flurry of mega rounds ($18.5 billion across seven deals) :
- Waymo: $16 billion (autonomous driving).
- Cerebras Systems: $1 billion (AI chips).
- Bedrock Robotics: $270 million (robotics models).
- CesiumAstro: $270 million (aerospace comms).
- Tomorrow.io: $175 million (weather tech).
AI clearly dominates, but hardware, deep tech, and data infrastructure hold strong.
Sector Focus: Themes and Real-World Examples
AI & Hardware
AI investments remain the core driver. Companies like Cerebras and Bedrock show how investors believe hardware and physical models are critical to AI’s future.
Defense and Aerospace
Europe’s flow of capital into AI and defence underscores a strategic, geopolitically informed funding wave. In the U.S., firms like CesiumAstro and Tomorrow.io reflect private investor confidence in infrastructure tech.
Geographic Shifts
While the U.S. and Europe continue to see massive inflows, regional markets vary. North Carolina’s sharp decline reminds us that headline numbers can hide local vulnerability. But long-term gains remain solid.
“Large, focused hardware investments—like those in Cerebras and Waymo—suggest investors are already looking beyond software to power the next generation of innovation.”
Conclusion
Startup funding in late 2025 and early 2026 has been explosive — particularly in AI and infrastructure-rich sectors. Waymo’s $16 billion round, Europe’s €66 billion VC haul, and global totals climbing past $425 billion show a market that’s big, bold, and increasingly hardware-focused.
Growth isn’t uniform, though. Regions like North Carolina face headwinds. Still, broad investment trends, especially in AI, biotech, climate, and deep tech, show sustained optimism.
Future moves to watch: how VC firms like a16z deploy their fresh capital, how AI hardware scales, and whether regional ecosystems can regain footing. Stay tuned—this wave of funding is only building.
FAQs
What’s been the biggest startup funding round recently?
Waymo’s $16 billion raise in early February 2026 tops the list as one of the largest private rounds ever.
How much did global startup funding grow in 2025?
It climbed roughly 30 percent year-over-year to around $425 billion.
Which sectors attracted the most capital?
AI led the funding surge, with nearly $211 billion directed toward AI-related companies — about half of all VC that year.
Did any regions outside the US and EU see major growth?
India ranked third in tech funding during the first half of 2025, raising about $4.8 billion — though that was still down from prior periods.
What new VC funds should we watch?
Andreessen Horowitz is aiming to raise $10 billion across several verticals, including AI and defense, signaling major future direction.
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