'Q3 2025 VC Investment Trends'
Exit Volume Hits Highest Level in 15 Quarters
In the third quarter of this year, global venture capital (VC) investment increased by 8% compared to the previous quarter, marking the fourth consecutive quarter in which investment exceeded 100 billion dollars.
According to the 'Q3 2025 VC Investment Trends' report published by global accounting and consulting firm KPMG on October 24, global VC investment in the third quarter of this year totaled 120.7 billion dollars, up from 112 billion dollars in the second quarter.
By region, the Americas led the market with 85.1 billion dollars, accounting for more than 70% of the total. Europe attracted 17.4 billion dollars, while Asia secured 16.8 billion dollars in investment.
Large-scale fundraising was particularly notable. There were 10 mega-deals worth more than 1 billion dollars, of which 8 took place in the United States. Investment was heavily concentrated in artificial intelligence (AI) model development, applied solutions, and infrastructure companies.
In the United States, AI companies such as Anthropic (13 billion dollars), xAI (10 billion dollars), Reflection AI (1 billion dollars), and Databricks (1 billion dollars) attracted major investments, driving the market forward.
In Europe, France's Mistral (1.5 billion dollars) and the United Kingdom's Nscale (1.5 billion dollars) took the lead. In the fintech and quantum computing sectors, the UK's Rapyd Financial (500 million dollars) and Finland's IQM (320 million dollars) also drew attention.
VC investment in Asia saw a slight increase but remained at a relatively low level. China accounted for the largest share in the region with 8.4 billion dollars, with significant investments going to automotive company FAW Bestune (462 million dollars), data center company GLP (348 million dollars), and aerospace startup Galactic Energy (335 million dollars).
Additionally, South Korea's AI semiconductor startup Rebellions secured an investment of 244 million dollars, making it a noteworthy AI investment case in Asia. Apart from AI, defense technology, space technology, health tech, quantum computing, and alternative energy emerged as major investment areas.
Global exit (investment recovery) volume reached 149.9 billion dollars, hitting the highest level in 15 quarters since the fourth quarter of 2021, buoyed by a recovery in the global initial public offering (IPO) market.
Jeong Doyoung, Managing Director of the Samjong KPMG Startup Support Center, stated, "AI remains the core driver of the global VC market, and startups that do not apply AI technology will find it increasingly difficult to attract investment." He predicted, "As IPO and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) markets in the United States and Asia resume, the exit environment will further improve in 2026." He added, "As AI technology spreads across industries, investment will continue in AI models, industry-specific AI solutions, and infrastructure, while robotics and defense technology will also attract attention."
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