Latest Startups & Entrepreneurship News
AI funding concentrates in megafunds, global AI investment tops $200B in 2025
Global AI startups raised roughly $202.3 billion in 2025, driven largely by very large institutional megafunds contributing the majority of capital and concentrating bets on proven leaders; this has raised the bar for founders seeking Series A funding.
Investors redefine Series A expectations after AI boom
Investors say Series A now requires demonstrable productâmarket fit, proprietary tech advantages, and crossâfunctional teams as capital selection tightens following the AI surge.
Deal paradox: fewer large rounds by count but larger ticket sizes
2025 saw a decline in the volume of mega deals, yet average capital per startup rose as investors concentrated larger checks into fewer, more proven companies, creating a âmega deal paradoxâ.
Nvidia strikes major licensing and asset deals with AI chip startups
Nvidia has executed large licensing/asset transactions with AI chip companies as incumbents secure hardware and IP to sustain AI growth and supply chains in 2025.
ServiceNow acquires cybersecurity startup Armis for $7.75B
ServiceNow announced a cash acquisition of cybersecurity startup Armis valued at $7.75 billion, underscoring strong strategic M&A activity in security and enterprise software.
Retail startups face funding squeeze; select deals still raised millions
VC dollars into retail startups in 2025 fell sharply from pandemic peaks, but at least 11 retail ventures still raised $2M+ this year, led by large rounds such as Gopuffâs $250M raise.
European startup ecosystem matures with 100+ unicorns and sector focus
Europeâs startup landscape has expanded rapidly through 2025, with over 100 active unicorns and concentrated activity in fintech, healthtech, AI and renewables as regional hubs scale.
AI startup trends: generative, explainable, and edge AI lead product roadmaps
By 2025 generative AI, explainability, and edge deployments are primary trends shaping AI startups; founders still struggle with data access, talent, and ethics despite strong investment interest.
New funds and exits fuel Israeli and private equity expansion plans
After sizable exit gains in December, firms such as AP Partners are targeting larger funds (e.g., aiming toward $400M) to scale followâon investments in the region.
Founders and investors reflect on 2025 lessons: pragmatic growth over hype
Industry retrospectives emphasize a shift from speculative bets to discipline: investors prioritize durable revenue models and operational rigor while founders must demonstrate measurable outcomes.
Capital targeted to AI infrastructure startups as data center and tooling needs grow
Seed and growth capital flowed into AI infrastructure startups, exemplified by rounds like Lucideanâs $18M seed to tackle AI dataâcenter challenges and tooling needs for model deployment.