Venture Capital

United States – October 23, 2026 -- Health2047, the venture studio of the American Medical Association, splits a marketing and communications executive's time 50/50 between its own brand and its portfolio startups, which range from obesity phenotyping to radiology AI.

Health2047 operates as an agency model, not just a fund

The studio builds and backs early-stage healthcare companies and supplies them with professional services instead of only writing checks. Its portfolio includes an obesity phenotyping company, a foundation model for radiologists and a physician-founded Medicare Advantage plan.

Tokyo – October 19, 2026 -- Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) drew more than 10,000 visitors to Global Startup EXPO 2026 (GSE2026) in Osaka and named 10 winners at the Nippon Startup Awards 2026, putting robotics and genome-editing startups at the center of its deep-tech push.

GSE2026 hosts 50+ sessions with global investors in Osaka

GSE2026 ran October 5-7 in Osaka and featured more than 50 conference sessions. METI said the event generated business matchmaking sessions between global investors and Japanese startups exploring strategic investments and collaborations.

Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android, took part. METI plans to hold the Global Startup EXPO again next year.

Oakland – October 14, 2026 -- The Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) reports a network of more than 2,200 professionals and 720 businesses across 12 U.S. states and eight countries as it marks 15 years since its 2011 founding, and says its VABA Venture Capital arm is backed by $50 million from the Duong family office.

Founder and chairman David Duong built the group after launching a California recycling business and investing in Vietnam. His family arrived in the Bay Area in 1979 as refugees and started by collecting and selling cardboard and other recyclables. That work led to California Waste Solutions, founded in 1992, which expanded into municipal recycling services in Oakland and San Jose.

Fargo – October 13, 2026 -- Sharp Biomedical, a medical device company building manual procedures for outpatient pain clinics, has closed its pre-seed funding round, led by North Dakota venture fund gener8tor 1889 with participation from several physician angel investors. The announcement did not disclose the round size.

Capital covers the full development and testing pathway for a first implant system

Sharp Biomedical says the proceeds fully fund development and testing of its first purpose-built toolset and implant system. The system is designed to fit the workflow of outpatient pain clinics and targets early-to-mid-stage chronic pain patients.

Toronto – September 28, 2026 -- Sixty Degree Capital (SDC) saw five portfolio companies complete initial public offerings in 2026, including the largest IPO in history and the largest biotech IPO on record. SpaceX, Parabilis Medicines, Cerebras, HawkEye 360 and Lime each began trading on U.S. exchanges between May and July, while GrubMarket has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SpaceX offering reaches approximately US$75 billion, the largest IPO ever recorded

SpaceX's public listing totaled roughly US$75 billion, according to the Toronto-based venture capital firm, marking the largest IPO in history. The offering anchors a wave of 2026 public-market exits across SDC's technology and healthcare portfolio.

San Francisco – September 22, 2026 -- Owl Ventures, the world's largest venture capital firm focused on education and workforce innovation, has named NBA legend Chris Paul as Venture Partner, adding a high-profile figure to a firm managing more than $2.2 billion in committed capital.

Owl Ventures backs over 100 companies reaching 700 million users worldwide

The firm operates three global offices and has made over 100 investments in companies helping people learn, prepare for work, and build skills throughout their careers. Its portfolio companies collectively reach more than 700 million users globally.

NEW YORK – September 22, 2026 -- Forus, an AI-driven healthcare startup, has reached a $3 billion valuation after closing a $150 million Series C funding round earlier this month, CEO Sahir Jaggi confirmed during a NYSE Live broadcast tied to the trading floor's pre-market advisory.

Forus raises $150 million to link doctors, pharmacies and biopharma data

Jaggi said the capital will support the company's platform connecting physicians, pharmacies, payers and biopharmaceutical firms to accelerate access to new treatments for patients.

Shanghai – – September 21, 2026 -- Ten biotech startup teams have been selected as finalists for the inaugural S2S China Symposium, narrowed from roughly 20 semifinalists who competed to pitch global venture investors at Westlake University on October 15.

RA Capital and Qiming Venture Partners co-host China chapter of Science2Startup

S2S China is the China chapter of Science2Startup, an invitation-only program founded in 2018 by F-Prime, SV Health and Atlas Venture that connects academic therapeutics researchers with biotech investors. RA Capital Management, Osage University Partners and 5AM Ventures have since joined the network. The China edition is co-hosted by RA Capital Management and Qiming Venture Partners.

Orlando, Fla. – September 18, 2026 -- Mach Industries doubled its valuation to $3.7 billion in three months, up from $470 million a year earlier, as defense startup funding heads for a record 2026 even while exits remain scarce, according to Backswing Ventures.

Crunchbase data shows 2026 funding at record levels with few exits in sight

Crunchbase News reported this month that 2026 is on pace to be the largest year on record for defense startup funding. Backswing Ventures founder Kyle Asman said that surge is not matched by liquidity, since government sales cycles and dual-use commercial traction can take years to materialize into a sale or IPO.

"Raising money has never been faster in this sector," Asman said. "Turning that money into an exit is a separate problem, and a much slower one."

Tokyo – September 17, 2026 -- Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will stage the Global Startup EXPO 2026 in Osaka from October 5 to 7, opening a direct channel for overseas venture capital firms into the country's startup and investment ecosystem.

METI targets deep tech commercialization as the event's central theme

Organized under the concept "Deeptech - from breakthrough to industry," GSE2026 is structured to move beyond exhibition format toward measurable industrial outcomes. The ministry frames the event as addressing a gap between capital deployment and market implementation, arguing that lasting impact requires technologies to reach commercial scale and generate sustainable economic value.