M&A Deals

A growing number of VC-backed companies are selling to private equity, even though PE firms generally don’t pay as much as strategic buyers.

Fundraising stabilized in the first half of this year, with VC firms worldwide collecting $45.2bn, the same amount they raised in H1 2025. But fundraisers are by no means out of the woods.

Speculation about mega-sized AI IPOs has growing numbers of VC-backed companies also queueing up to go public, while increasing demand for scale and strategic growth is expected to be a key factor in M&A activity.

Amid increasing pet ownership, longer lifespans for cats and dogs and the trend to treat pets as family members, venture capitalists are betting on expanding market opportunities in animal health.

Firm with $7.3bn raised in VC program since first fund in 1990 anticipating return of IPOs and M&As later this year or next, with uptick of CVs in the meantime.

The aviation investment manager plans to raise a new fund that will build on JetBlue Ventures’ existing portfolio and expand founders’ access to more strategic relationships around the world.

Some VCs believe deals between small and midsized companies will proceed smoothly but that large-scale M&A transactions will continue to be hampered by unclear anti-trust treatment in certain concentrated markets.

The CEO of secondary trading platform Nasdaq Private Market says he is already seeing the ‘liquidity logjam starting to break.’

The agreement, expected to close by end of 2024, gives BP Partners the benefit of Runway’s expertise in 'growth lending.'

Bedrock co-led Bridge’s seed round via Bedrock Capital III, a $350m vintage-2021 fund.