Telecoms

Corporate-backed startups exits were at their highest level for over two years in Q1 2025, with large acquisitions spiking the total value.

The Japanese telecoms firm has again teamed with venture firm Global Brain, for a fund that will prioritise artificial intelligence and deeptech.

There were 1,215 corporate-backed startup funding rounds in Q1, the highest quarterly total for two years.

Oliver Schmäschke will head the German telecoms company's investment arm T.Capital.

The language may be changing but the opportunities and the returns are still there for impact investors.

Startups backed by corporate investors are less likely to go bust. This pattern holds true even in a tough investment climate.

CoreWeave, Discord, Klarna and Jio are among the high-value tech companies on the slate for 2025 IPOs, but market volatility could delay things, says exits expert Jeff Baglio.

Corporate investors have become pivotal players in VC markets around the globe, able to move markets. It’s now time to press our advantage.

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

There were 42 corporate-backed startup funding rounds in China in February, up 27% from the previous month. Most of these were backed by Chinese tech giants such as Tencent and Baidu.

Investor interest in self-driving cars is booming again as commercial services have started operating. These are some of the opportunities that are emerging.