The global venture capital investment market rose in Q3 2025, with total funding coming in at $120 billion across 7,579 deals.¹
But looking ahead, what are the biggest venture capital trends we can expect for the end of 2025, and heading into 2026?
We’ll take a look below, including the domination of the US (particularly for AI-related deals), a ‘renaissance’ for European robotics, continuing hyper-specialisation within AI and the rebound of cross-border deals.
So, let’s dive right in.
2025 has been a busy year for startups and investors within the venture capital landscape.
After a dip in Q2, the third quarter of the year saw an increase in total deal value and a rebound in IPO activity, both of which contributed to more optimistic investor sentiment.¹
A key driver of investor activity has been the first trend on our list - the dominance of AI-related megadeals in the US.
As has been the case throughout 2025 and in previous years, the US once again captured the bulk of global VC funding - and by some distance.
Of the total $120 billion invested across the quarter, an impressive $80.9 billion came from US deals. Across the Americas as a wider region, this increased to $85.1 billion across nearly 3,500 deals.¹
The region played host to 3 of the 5 biggest VC deals on the planet in Q3, including:¹
As predicted, some of the biggest deals were AI related - and the boom shows no signs of slowing down in 2026.
So far in 2025, positive news from the VC sector has been tempered with understandable concerns related to tensions and shifts in the global political and economic environment.
Investors, founders and business leaders alike were worried about the impact on global economies of notable events such as US President Trump’s trade tariffs and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Particular concerns included currency volatility, supply chain disruption and restrictions on cross-border investments, as well as the complexity of regulatory compliance across international borders.
But despite this, the figures reveal that cross-border deals are rebounding. According to recent reports on major mergers and acquisitions, deals across international borders made up around 38% of total global deal value in the first half of 2025.²
Both private equity and venture capital firms are expanding, with a focus on emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America.²
What many of 2025’s megadeals have had in common is the industry - nearly all of the year’s most significant investments have been in AI-related companies and projects.
As the year has progressed, VCs have been increasingly deploying highly specialised strategies in this field. The number of ‘generalist’ VC funds has been falling, with investors looking towards capturing niche corners of specialist fields.
Prime examples in 2025 - and trends expected to continue into 2026 - include AI infrastructure, fintech, climate tech, healthcare innovation and cybersecurity.²
Another interesting related development is investors using AI tools to actually source deals themselves - often before they’re widely broadcast. VC firms are making use of machine learning and big data platforms to identify signals which could indicate an opportunity, whether its hiring trends or patent filings.²
This is allowing them to identify emerging trends and technologies faster. It also means speeding up the process of screening large numbers of targets to find the right fit for their specific investment criteria.
One of the super-specialised areas that investors are focusing on has emerged as the surprise trend of the year - quantum computing.
The sector attracted a number of large headline-making VC deals in Q3 2025. Unsurprisingly, many of the largest were in the US, including $1 billion for PsiQuantum and $594 million for Quantinuum. These are believed to be a couple of the largest funding rounds to date for the quantum computing industry.¹
Other major deals globally included:¹
Unsurprisingly, much of the funding is research-related, although some deals have been focused on advancing existing technology. But the signals from 2025’s investment activity are clear - that 2026 could be a major breakthrough year for the sector.
Europe saw a slight rise in the third quarter of 2025, with figures revealing $17.5 billion in total investment across over 1,600 deals.³ Others stats were encouraging too, including exit activity increasing for the third consecutive quarter.
But there’s another interesting trend that industry experts have started to notice within the European market.
There’s been an uptick in interest and investment in the European robotics scene, which some have described as a ‘renaissance moment’ for the sector. Over $1 billion has been invested in robotics in Europe so far in 2025 - which puts it on track to top the peak of $1.4 billion recorded back in 2021.³
VCs focusing on AI have started to see the potential in its applications within robotics, and have been investing accordingly. Firms such as 360 Capital, C4 Ventures and UK-based Cambridge Innovation Capital have all been actively investing in this area.³
Some of the biggest deals have been:³
So far, 2025 has been a positive one for the VC sector - especially considering the uptick in deal value in the third quarter of the year compared to Q2.
AI continues to dominate, a trend that is set to continue into 2026. As the myriad applications for the technology continue to multiply, VCs are likely to remain focused on super-specialised investment strategies.
However, the industry continues to face challenges related to geopolitical uncertainty and trade tensions. It’s positive news that cross-border deals are rebounding, which could signal a return to business as usual for the sector - provided there are no more significant global economic or political upheavals or conflicts.
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Sources used:
Sources last checked on date: 15-Oct-2025
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