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Venture Capital Funding Trends

Comprehensive data on venture capital funding trends — updated weekly.

Live data and analysis powered by PitchBook’s proprietary dataset of 3.4M+ companies, 1.8M+ deals, and 420K+ investors.

Global venture capital funding totaled $345B in 2025, up 14% year-over-year. AI-native startups captured 38% of all VC dollars — the highest single-category concentration in a decade. Mega-rounds ($100M+) accounted for 52% of total capital deployed, while seed-stage deal counts recovered to 2021 levels, creating a pronounced “barbell” dynamic across stages.

Why this matters:
VC funding data shapes decisions across the ecosystem — from founders timing their raises, to LPs sizing allocations, to corporates mapping competitive threats. The 2025 recovery is real but highly uneven, with capital concentrating in AI and late-stage. Understanding where dollars are actually flowing (and where they’re not) is essential for anyone making investment decisions in the venture ecosystem.

What you’ll find on this page:
Annual and quarterly VC funding totals, deal counts by stage, sector breakdowns, the most active investors, mega-round analysis, and forward-looking signals for 2026 — updated weekly from PitchBook’s dataset of 1.8M+ deals.

Key takeaways

Three structural shifts defining venture capital in 2025: AI-native concentration, a recovering seed market, and a barbell capital structure that compresses the middle.

AI concentration
AI-native startups captured 38% of all VC dollars in 2025
The highest single-category concentration in a decade. LPs should examine GP exposure to AI across funds to assess correlated risk, and founders outside AI should expect a tougher fundraising environment than headline numbers suggest.
Seed recovery
Seed-stage deal counts recovered to 2021 levels
The recovery is broadening beyond AI into biotech, climate, and defense tech, signaling renewed founder and investor confidence. Seed activity is a leading indicator for Series A volume 12 to 18 months out.
Barbell dynamic
Mega-rounds ($100M+) accounted for 52% of total capital deployed
The barbell of active seed and concentrated late-stage capital leaves Series B and C as the most competitive stages for founders seeking growth capital. Growth investors should expect compressed entry valuations at the middle of the market.

Global VC funding by stage

Annual VC funding broken out by deal stage ($B), 2021–2025

360 270 180 90 0 Funding ($B) 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Seed Early stage Late stage Mega-rounds
Text description of chart data (for accessibility & LLMs)
Year Seed ($B) Early stage ($B) Late stage ($B) Mega-rounds ($B) Total ($B)
2021257585160345
202220555090215
202318423862160
202422484585200
2025286572180345

Source: PitchBook Platform Data, 2021–2025.

Companies & investors

The most active investors deploying capital into venture-backed companies. Profile links connect to PitchBook's full investor data, including deal history, fund performance, and co-investor networks.

Accelerator
Mountain View, CA · Founded 2005
Most active early-stage investor by deal count, with 8,964 lifetime investments and 4,193 active companies in portfolio.
8,964 investments 2,124 exits
View profile →
Accelerator
New York, NY · Founded 2006
Global accelerator with 7,166 lifetime investments and 3,619 active portfolio companies, with consistent focus on early-stage technology.
7,166 investments 2,108 exits
View profile →
Accelerator
Palo Alto, CA · Founded 2010
Global accelerator with 4,366 lifetime investments and 1,581 active companies, managing $2.3B across multiple sectors.
4,366 investments 1,709 exits
View profile →

Featured research

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Annual report · 2026-01-28
Global VC Funding Report: 2025 Annual
  • Global VC funding totaled $345B in 2025, up 14% YoY
  • AI-native startups captured 38% of all VC dollars
  • Mega-rounds ($100M+) accounted for 52% of total capital deployed
  • Seed-stage deal counts recovered to 2021 levels
Download report →

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