Exit

Some 37 corporate-backed startups were bought in February in sectors ranging from semiconductors and skincare to pharma and robots.

January 2025 saw 53 corporate-backed startup exits, marking a 47% year-on-year increase and the highest total since early 2023, with deal values soaring to $4.52bn.

Large life sciences deals and corporate investors buying the companies in their own portfolio have been key to an improving exit market.

There was a 62% jump in exits for corporate-backed startups in November, with IPOs and acquisitions across a range of geographies and sectors but also some notable bankruptcies.

Some 37 corporate-backed startups were either acquired or taken public in October, with the total value of exits at $4.37bn, a significant rise on last year.

The longed-for recovery in startup exits hasn't yet arrived. But those startups that did get bought or publicly listed in September did so at higher prices.

Corporate investors have been part of $3bn worth of AI deals so far this year, with June particularly strong. There has also been a uptick in exits.

Countries like Germany, Switzerland and Japan have benefitted from an explosive growth in capital, but the US still dominates and the UK risks being left behind, our in-depth analysis shows.

The value of corporate-backed deals slumped in the third quarter, but sectors like energy and telecoms bucked the trend as did a few geographies like Israel.