Global Startup Funding Hits Record $510 B in H1 2026, AI Drives Surge

Global venture capital invested a record $510 billion in startups during the first half of 2026, according to Crunchbase data. More than 70% of the funding in Q2 went to AI‑focused companies, and two firms – OpenAI and Anthropic – together captured about 43% of the total, roughly $217 billion.

In the United States, New York City’s tech ecosystem continued its strong momentum in July 2026, with several large rounds announced. Pearl Health raised $125 million for its primary‑care platform, Vendelux secured $67.1 million for its AI‑powered event intelligence solution, and travel‑booking platform Fora closed a $138.5 million round. These deals illustrate the breadth of sectors benefiting from the heightened capital flow, from healthcare to AI‑driven marketing and tourism.

The concentration of capital in a few AI leaders highlights the growing importance of large‑scale compute investments, while the continued activity in regional hubs like NYC shows that venture funding remains widely distributed across the tech landscape.