Startup Trends: Top funding rounds of Q1 2026
The first quarter of 2026 has delivered a surge in private venture investment, driven largely by artificial intelligence and data infrastructure. A concentrated group of deep-technology startups is capturing an outsized share of capital, reinforcing investor conviction that foundational AI and next-generation platforms could define the next decade of innovation. Five of the largest funding rounds currently listed on Forge Global highlight companies advancing generative AI, machine intelligence and scalable enterprise infrastructure.
For investors, these companies signal where institutional capital is concentrating, and where long-term value creation and secondary market opportunity may be taking shape.
OpenAI, $110B, Series C
San Francisco–based OpenAI led the quarter with one of the largest private funding rounds ever recorded. In February 2026, the developer of ChatGPT closed a $110 billion Series C round backed by strategic investors including Nvidia, Amazon, SoftBank and others. The unprecedented capital infusion into a single company could indicate investor enthusiasm in AI’s long-term market expansion and commercial potential.1
Founded in 2015, OpenAI continues to advance its product suite amid growing competition from Google and Meta. This month, reports indicated the company plans to launch its new Sora application within ChatGPT, allowing users to engage with AI in dynamic ways, further expanding its multimodal AI capabilities.2
OpenAI’s Forge Price™ is $727.98, implying a valuation of $840 billion as of March 11, 2026. The company is also listed among Forge’s Private Magnificent 7 companies.
Anthropic, $30B, Series G
Anthropic, co-founded by former OpenAI researchers, closed a $30 billion Series G round in February 2026, marking the second-largest funding round of the quarter as listed on Forge. The raise drew heavyweight investors including Coatue Management, ICONIQ Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners and JPMorgan Chase, pointing toward a strong institutional belief in the growing demand for Anthropic’s Claude models.
Like its rival OpenAI, Anthropic has continued to move quickly on product innovation. In February, the company released a mobile version of its Claude platform, dubbed Remote Control, which enables users to issue commands directly from their smartphones and further expanding accessibility to its AI tools.3
Founded in 2021, San Francisco–based Anthropic’s Forge Price™ is $259.14, implying a valuation of $380.01 billion as of March 11, 2026. The company is also listed among Forge’s Private Magnificent 7.
xAI, $20B, Series E
Founded by Elon Musk, xAI secured the third-largest funding round of the quarter. Focused on developing scalable, next-generation AI architectures, the company closed a $20 billion Series E round in January 2026. The financing included participation from Valor Equity Partners, StepStone Group, Fidelity and other institutional investors, reflecting continued appetite for alternative frontier AI platforms.
In February, xAI announced it would be acquired by SpaceX in a strategic transaction designed to integrate advanced AI capabilities into SpaceX’s long-term space exploration initiatives.4 The combination is intended to support AI-driven optimization across spacecraft systems, aligning AI-enabled technology with SpaceX’s multi-planetary ambitions.
Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Burlingame, California, xAI’s last price per share was $75.46 as of its most recent fundraise, implying a post-money valuation of $230 billion. xAI is listed as one of Forge’s Private Magnificent 7 companies.
Databricks, $5B, Series L
Databricks, the unified data and AI platform headquartered in San Francisco, entered the quarter with strong capital momentum, closing a $5 billion Series L round in February. Ranking fourth among the top-funded companies this quarter, the raise indicates investor belief in the critical role enterprise data infrastructure plays as organizations embed AI into analytics and operational workflows.
Around the same time, VentureBeat reported on the launch of Databricks’ new serverless database, Lakebase. The platform eliminates complex manual database management, allowing teams to focus on building application features rather than maintaining infrastructure. By automating much of the backend work, Lakebase has the potential to reduce application development timelines from months to just days.5
Founded in 2013, the enterprise software company’s Forge Price™ is $196.29 as of March 11, 2026, implying a valuation of $138.44 billion. Notable investors include Insight Partners, Fidelity, Andreessen Horowitz, and BlackRock. Databricks is a Forge Magnificent 7 company.
Skild AI, $1.4B, Series C
Skild AI is a new addition to Forge’s quarterly list of top funding rounds. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania–based company closed a $1.4 billion Series C in January, more than tripling its valuation to over $14 billion. Skild is developing an “omni-bodied” robotics foundation model, dubbed Skild Brain, designed to control and operate across diverse robotic platforms.6 The company has attracted prominent investors including SoftBank Group, NVentures, Macquarie Capital and Bezos Expeditions.
According to Skild, the latest funding will be directed toward research and development as the company accelerates real-world deployments aimed at generating measurable economic value. The capital will also support expanded model training and partnerships with robotics manufacturers, positioning Skild Brain as a scalable AI layer for next-generation automation across commercial applications.7
Founded in 2023, Skild’s Forge Price™ is $64.95 as of March 11, 2026.
