Global venture capital markets recorded their second-highest quarterly performance in Q2 2026, with deal value reaching $227.4 billion, according to KPMG. This followed a record $332.9 billion in Q1. U.S. AI firm Anthropic led the quarter with a record $65.3 billion single-round fundraising, the largest in history. The quarter saw 8,440 deals globally. The Americas dominated with $150 billion in investment, including $144.9 billion from the United States. Asia ranked second with $50.8 billion, its best quarter since Q4 2021, while Europe saw $25.6 billion. Corporate venture capital-backed investment totaled $149.1 billion. Other major AI deals included a $12 billion raise by Project Prometheus, a $7.4 billion round by DeepSeek, and financings of $3 billion by ByteDance and $2.5 billion by StepFun. Exit activity also surged, with global VC-backed startup exit value hitting a record $1.9 trillion, driven by SpaceX's IPO after merging with xAI to form SpaceXAI. The combined entity raised $75 billion on the Nasdaq, with total proceeds reaching $85.7 billion including the overallotment option, giving it a valuation of $1.9 trillion.