The median late-stage startup funding round in the United States reached $100 million in 2026, according to data from Crunchbase News. This milestone marks a shift where $100 million rounds, once considered exceptional, have become typical in the current funding landscape.
Crunchbase News traced the evolution of these large funding rounds, noting that the category of $100 million-plus rounds, initially dubbed “Supergiant Rounds” in 2018, has grown steadily. The trend accelerated in the late 2010s with companies like Uber, Rivian, and WeWork raising significant capital ahead of public offerings. After a peak in 2021, deal volumes declined before rebounding alongside the surge in AI-related investments this year.
The rise in median round size reflects a broader concentration of capital among a select group of high-profile startups. While the number of deals remains below the 2021 peak, the total capital deployed in jumbo rounds is at an all-time high. This trend underscores the increasing scale of late-stage financing, with some rounds dwarfing the $100 million benchmark by over 1,000 times, as exemplified by OpenAI’s record-setting round earlier this year.
Crunchbase News highlights that what was once considered a landmark $100 million round is now a standard deal size in the US late-stage startup funding market. The data signals a new normal in venture capital financing, reshaping expectations for startup growth and investment strategies in 2026.