The dollar value of deals involving a corporate investor rose to $21bn in August, up from $7bn a year ago as large IT, industrial and energy deals boosted what is typically a quiet month.
The number of dollars invested in corporate-backed startup funding rounds more than tripled in August, compared to the same month last year, as a number of big IT, industrial and energy sector transactions lifted what is typically a quiet month for deals.
The dollar value of corporate-backed rounds (where the amount was disclosed) rose to $21bn from $7bn in the year-ago period, boosted by deals such as the $2bn raised by Thrive Holdings from investors including SoftBank, and the $1.37bn series D funding round for defence technology and automated manufacturing startup Hadrian, which was backed by Capital G, Alphabet's growth investment arm.
The number of funding rounds recorded in August — 391 — however, was the lowest since August 2025, implying that the market is seeing fewer but larger deals.
Oishani Mitra
Oishani Mitra is the content manager for Global Corporate Venturing.
