First-Half Global VC Investment Reaches KRW 800 Trillion, Driven by AI Mega-Deals
Samjong KPMG Releases Report on Venture Capital Trends and Outlook
First-Half Investment Volume Hits Five-Year High
Investment Restructuring Centers on AI, Defense Technology, and Bio-Healthcare
In the first half of this year, global venture capital (VC) investment reached USD 560.3 billion (approximately KRW 795 trillion), the highest level in the past five years. Mega deals in artificial intelligence (AI) fueled investment activity, while capital rapidly shifted toward future industries such as defense technology as well as bio and healthcare.
On August 11, Samjong KPMG released its report, "Global Venture Investment: 2026 Q2 Trends and Outlook for the Second Half," detailing these findings.
AI-Centric Investment Restructuring
In the second quarter of this year, global VC investment was tallied at USD 227.4 billion (8,440 deals). This marks the second-largest quarterly investment ever, following the record-setting USD 332.9 billion in the first quarter.
The AI sector continued to drive the market this quarter. Eight out of the top ten global VC investments were concentrated in AI, with funding in this sector alone totaling approximately USD 106.1 billion. U.S.-based AI company Anthropic secured USD 65 billion, making it the largest investment case in Q2. Prometheus, a U.S. AI startup, raised USD 12 billion, and DeepSeek, a Chinese large language model (LLM) company, secured USD 7.4 billion.
Amid rising geopolitical risks, investments in defense technology have also been increasing rapidly. Notable cases include U.S. defense industry company Anduril Industries (USD 5 billion), and Finnish geospatial intelligence company ICEYE (USD 1.2 billion).
By region, the Americas led the global VC market, recording USD 150 billion (3,999 deals). Asia attracted USD 50.8 billion (2,676 deals), while Europe brought in USD 25.6 billion (1,636 deals).
IPO Recovery Revitalizes Exit Market
The exit market is also regaining momentum, driven by large-scale initial public offerings (IPOs). In the second quarter, global VC exits reached USD 1.9 trillion, setting a new quarterly record. The IPO of SpaceX, which was carried out at a scale of USD 75 billion, played a key role in the recovery. As a result, the cumulative global VC exit volume for the first half of the year amounted to USD 2.3 trillion, bolstering hopes for the recovery of liquidity in the private markets.
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The report forecasts that in the second half of the year, investments will expand not only in the development of large language models, but also into industrial AI solutions, autonomous driving, defense technology, and applications in bio and healthcare.
Jung Doyoung, head of the Startup Support Center at Samjong KPMG, stated, "With the SpaceX IPO rapidly activating the exit market, the possibility has grown that liquidity will return to private markets. As core investment destinations in the global VC market are expected to include AI, defense technology, bio and healthcare, and fintech—alongside a recovery in early-stage startup investment—domestic companies and investors should craft strategies in line with global investment trends and technological changes."
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