The boom times for startup fundraising are likely to roll into the new year. As I scooped earlier Tuesday, self-driving car service Waymo is expected to raise billions of dollars at a $100 billion valuation, more than double its last valuation. It’s the latest sign that while public markets quake, private investors are still eager to put money into AI-related startups. Their valuations are soaring to levels that make 2021 swoon. A new round for Waymo would make the Alphabet-controlled business the latest so-called “centicorn,” or private startup valued at more than $100 billion. It’s a U.S. list that includes SpaceX, OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks.
The boom times for startup fundraising are likely to roll into the new year. As I scooped earlier Tuesday, self-driving car service Waymo is expected to raise billions of dollars at a $100 billion valuation, more than double its last valuation.
It’s the latest sign that while public markets quake, private investors are still eager to put money into AI-related startups. Their valuations are soaring to levels that make 2021 swoon. A new round for Waymo would make the Alphabet-controlled business the latest so-called “centicorn,” or private startup valued at more than $100 billion. It’s a U.S. list that includes SpaceX, OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks.
Until now, Waymo had not taken advantage of this year’s funding bonanza. It last raised money in late 2024, in a $5.6 billion round, at a $45 billion valuation. It used this time as an opportunity to grow its ridership and pave the way for more Waymo vehicles on the roads with expanded regulatory approvals.
If the pace of startup funding continues, expect to see more $100 billion-valuation startups in 2026. Next year could also see the first $100 billion-dollar venture-backed business to go public: SpaceX, which is discussing an IPO in mid to late 2026, as I reported earlier this month. SpaceX CEO Elon Music in a post on X last week confirmed these IPO discussions.
But all of this depends on market conditions remaining as they are. Geopolitical events or a changed economic environment could potentially impact the stock market. Investors, of course, could lose their enthusiasm for AI.
Yet from what we’re hearing, those jitters haven’t hit private investors, who are chasing several billion-dollar companies aiming to fundraise at the beginning of the year. That means there are lots of reasons for AI investors—and founders—-to celebrate this New Year’s.
