Weekly VC and Startup Funding Update — Feb 1–7, 2026

Posted on February 07, 2026 at 06:00 PM

🚀 Weekly Venture & Startup Funding Report — Early February 2026

  • Global venture funding surged in January 2026, with ~US$55 B raised globally, led by strong U.S. activity and continued concentration into AI‑centric startups. AI remains the dominant sector in investor allocations. (Crunchbase News)
  • Recent LinkedIn data shows 18 Silicon Valley startups raised ~US$1.48 B last week across enterprise, blockchain, biotech, hardware, and legal tech verticals, indicating breadth beyond just AI. (LinkedIn)

Sector Momentum:

  • Artificial Intelligence & Enterprise Software (primary driver)
  • Blockchain & Compliance starting to re‑emerge
  • Healthcare / biotech / legal tech showing depth in later rounds

Risk Themes:

  • Capital is concentrated into larger rounds, with early‑stage funding comparatively more selective — potentially cooling seed ecosystems outside core AI infrastructure.
  • Regulatory uncertainty in fintech & crypto markets persists, impacting valuations and exit timing.

🧠 Startup Funding Highlights (Last Week / Recent)

Note: Only rounds with documented reporting in the last week or early 2026 (public sources) and backed by tracked VCs/accelerators are included below.

Startup Name Sector Round Investors Valuation Notes
Resolve AI AI / Enterprise Series A — (not publicly attributed to tracked VCs) US$1B Closed US$125M at unicorn valuation; reflects continued investor appetite for production‑ready AI infrastructure. (VC News Daily)
Goodfire AI research Series B US$1.25B US$150M round highlights investor interest in AI interpretability / research platforms. (VC News Daily)
TRM Labs AI / Security Series C (Undisclosed) US$70M round underscores persistent demand for blockchain/crypto‑focused security tools. (VC News Daily)
Urban SDK Gov‑Tech / AI Growth Round (Undisclosed) US$65M funding points to AI adoption in public sector applications. (VC News Daily)
Lunar Energy Climate / Energy Series D (Undisclosed) US$232M raise supports integrated home battery and virtual power plant software expansion. (VC News Daily)
Plug EV marketplace Series A Lightspeed US$20M reflect Lightspeed’s ongoing interest in mobility and marketplace tech adjacent to EV ecosystem. (VC News Daily)
Fibr AI Martech / AI Seed ~US$7.5M seed round indicates early investor conviction in agentic web experience layers. (VC News Daily)

📌 Notable Near‑Recent Rounds (Late Dec–Jan)

These are recent enough to shape trends and often backed by tracked firms though outside the strict 7‑day window, useful for strategic context.

Startup Sector Round Noted VCs Valuation / Notes
Fal AI generative media Series D Sequoia ~US$4.5B; major growth funding round signifying continued deep AI interest. (TechCrunch)
Unconventional AI AI computing tech Seed Lightspeed, a16z ~US$4.5B; demonstrates appetite for early bets in foundational compute infrastructure. (TechCrunch)

1. AI Continues to Dominate Capital Allocation

  • Both late‑stage and growth rounds feature AI‑centric startups reaching unicorn valuations and above (e.g., Sequoia‑led Fal). (TechCrunch)
  • Security and infrastructure AI (e.g., TRM Labs; enterprise AI stacks like Resolve AI) are key focus areas.

2. Diversification Beyond Pure AI

  • Funding in energy (Lunar Energy) and governance tech (Urban SDK) suggests VCs hedging broader digital transformation themes. (VC News Daily)
  • Mobility & marketplace tech (Plug) sees participation from established growth VCs.

3. Later‑stage Confidence Rising

  • Large Series B/C rounds at billion‑plus valuations and continued accelerator program exits and follow‑on capital signal improving market sentiment.

🧭 Strategic Insights for Investors

Opportunity Areas

  • AI infrastructure & governance — continues to attract large checks and strategic participation.
  • Climate tech + energy software — underscored by multi‑hundred million raises in home‑grid and energy sectors.
  • Security & compliance (crypto + web) — resilient despite macro pressures; TRM Labs highlights investor conviction.

Risks to Monitor

  • Early‑stage funding remains selective — startups without strong technical differentiation may face longer raise cycles.
  • Regulatory dynamics in fintech & crypto could slow certain Web3 financings.

Actionables

  • Track AI startups that push beyond narrow LLM focus toward enterprise-grade deployment and horizontal infrastructure.
  • Evaluate cross‑sector AI plays that unify climate, energy, and edge compute — potential convergence areas driving next wave of allocators.