Early-stage startup megadeals surge in 2026 as AI leads a record…

Team S · 2026-01-29T13:11:41.000Z

A growing share of seed and Series A venture funding in 2026 is being captured by unusually large early-stage funding rounds, especially in AI-focused startups, according to Crunchbase data marking a notable shift in how capital is distributed across the startup ecosystem. More than 40 % of early-stage investment this year has gone to mega-rounds of $100 million or more, a striking development given that such giant checks were historically rare at seed and Series A. This trend reflects intense investor competition and conviction in high-potential founders and technologies, particularly in artificial intelligence, where companies are racing to build foundational platforms and capabilities that can scale rapidly. A Growing Share Of Seed And Series A Funding Is Going To Giant Rounds

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Early-stage startup megadeals surge in 2026 as AI leads a record… | Newnex