Startup funding in United States 2026
January to September 2026. Data as of 23 October 2026.
Release
Total
Startups in the United States raised $154.3B in 6,677 venture rounds from January to September 2026, 1st of 119 countries, according to FundingWatcher.
Without rounds of $100M or more
291 rounds of $100M or more hold 69.4% of that money. Without them, the United States raised $47.2B, 1st of 119 countries.
Largest round
The largest round was xAI in Palo Alto: $20.0B, Series E, in January 2026.
Cities
Palo Alto startups raised $26.9B, 17.4% of the national total, ahead of San Francisco with $26.1B.
Cities without rounds of $100M or more
Without its 22 rounds of $100M or more (led by xAI and River AI), Palo Alto falls behind San Francisco: $9.7B to $1.2B.
Early stage
Pre-seed, seed, angel and Series A rounds under $100M: 5,934 rounds, $29.2B.
Source
Source: FundingWatcher, startup funding by country and city 2026, https://fundingwatcher.com/research/startup-funding-by-country-2026/
Cities
| City | Rounds | Total | Under $100M | Rounds of $100M+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto | 130 | $26.9B | $1.2B | 22 |
| San Francisco | 1470 | $26.1B | $9.7B | 53 |
| New York | 816 | $17.5B | $7.7B | 40 |
| Austin | 188 | $6.0B | $1.4B | 10 |
| Costa Mesa | 4 | $5.0B | $26M | 1 |
| Denver | 63 | $4.4B | $191M | 2 |
| San Jose | 53 | $4.0B | $583M | 10 |
| Boston | 134 | $3.1B | $1.5B | 7 |
| Bastrop | 1 | $3.0B | $0 | 1 |
| Redwood City | 27 | $2.9B | $564M | 3 |
| Los Angeles | 192 | $2.7B | $1.3B | 5 |
| Cambridge | 76 | $2.6B | $1.4B | 6 |
Largest rounds
| Company | City | Round | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xAI | Palo Alto | Series E | 2026-01-06 | $20.0B |
| Anduril Industries | Costa Mesa | Series H | 2026-05-13 | $5.0B |
| Crusoe | Denver | Series F | 2026-09-03 | $3.9B |
| The Boring Company | Bastrop | Series D | 2026-09-09 | $3.0B |
| Cognition | San Francisco | Series E | 2026-09-08 | $2.0B |
| Reflection AI | New York | Series C | 2026-04-23 | $2.0B |
| Saronic | Austin | Series D | 2026-03-31 | $1.8B |
| Fireworks AI | Redwood City | Series D | 2026-07-15 | $1.5B |
| Baseten | San Francisco | Series F | 2026-06-22 | $1.5B |
| River AI | Palo Alto | Series A | 2026-08-11 | $1.1B |
Method
6,677 rounds in United States in the FundingWatcher startup file: companies whose most recent round is a named stage, pre-seed and angel through Series J, dated January to September 2026. One round per company, the latest. Debt, grants, corporate rounds, private equity and secondary sales are not counted. 5271 of the 6,677 rounds carry an amount. Method and data files: startup funding by country and city, 2026.
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