Global Venture Funding Reaches $59 Billion in October Driven by Large AI Rounds

Global venture funding reached $59 billion in October, representing a 45 percent increase from the same period last year. According to Crunchbase data, the surge was primarily driven by a $15.9 billion funding round for DeepSeek, marking the largest venture deal ever recorded for a Chinese company.

Funding activity remained heavily concentrated in the U.S. and China, which secured $28 billion and $20.6 billion respectively. For the Chinese market, this represents the highest monthly investment volume since June 2018. Over 40 percent of total global funding was concentrated in just seven companies that each secured rounds of $1 billion or more.

Artificial intelligence remains the primary driver of market liquidity, accounting for 66 percent of total global venture funding in October. Other sectors, including semiconductors, industrial manufacturing, and energy grid development, also saw significant capital inflows. With 2026 already setting records for M&A and venture activity, the market now focuses on the year-end outlook, specifically the potential impact of the highly anticipated public listing of Anthropic.