""AI is driving this whole venture investment cycle. So it's completely dominated," Gené Teare noted, highlighting that around 50% of global capital went to AI in 2025, which surged to about 80% in Q1 2026."
"Late-stage funding more than tripled year over year, reaching $246.6 billion across 584 deals in Q1, with $235 billion funneled into just 158 rounds of $100 million or more."
"The market is 'between two worlds': highly valued SaaS-era unicorns that look ready on revenue but can't convincingly prove AI-driven growth, and 'new native AI companies' posting huge early numbers."
"From 2022 through 2024, IPO activity slowed significantly, but the market began to stabilize in 2025, with global IPOs totaling 1,293 deals raising about $171.8 billion."
SpaceX's confidential IPO filing has generated excitement about a resurgence in high-growth tech IPOs, with OpenAI and Anthropic also preparing to enter the market. In Q1 2026, venture capital investment surged to a record $300 billion across 6,000 startups, driven largely by AI, which accounted for 80% of capital. Late-stage funding tripled year over year, but many unicorns remain priced off earlier valuations, creating a divide between established SaaS companies and emerging AI firms.
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