Series B funding is booming. So why are fewer startups getting funded?
October 29, 2026
Hi, there. There’s more money than ever flowing into some corners of venture capital, but that doesn’t mean it’s getting any easier for startups to raise. Take Series B: U.S. startups have secured around $48 billion in funding at that stage this year — the highest tally in years — even as the number of deals heads toward a multiyear low. The biggest checks are getting bigger, while smaller Series B rounds are becoming increasingly scarce. And that squeeze is being felt even earlier in the startup lifecycle, with one investor sharing how jumbo Series A rounds mask the difficulty seed-stage companies face in raising their next round. Plus, eBay and Electronic Arts lead the latest tech layoffs, we look at five unusual startup funding deals, and learn how AI is creating new threats to companies’ trade secrets.
📊 Series B funding is up, but fewer startups are getting checks
Crunchbase data shows U.S. startups have raised around $48 billion in funding deals at or around the Series B stage so far this year — the highest total in years. Yet deal counts are on track for a multiyear low, as investors concentrate capital in a smaller group of companies. We look at how the growing divide between jumbo financings and smaller rounds is reshaping the Series B market.
Related Crunchbase list: U.S. Series B Funding In 2026
✂️ eBay cuts 1,100 jobs as EA restructures its gaming studios
Nearly 1,800 U.S. tech roles landed on our Layoffs Tracker this week, led by eBay, which announced plans to cut 1,100 jobs, or about 9% of its workforce, in its second round of layoffs this year. Electronic Arts is also restructuring its gaming business and shutting down a studio in Canada. Meanwhile, Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 employees globally. Other companies that joined the tracker this week include Automattic, Headspace and Qualcomm.
🤔 5 interesting deals, from space lasers to coffee’s carbon cleanup
This month’s roundup of interesting startup deals spans some unusual corners of technology. Maxinsights raised a $30 million seed round to collect videos of humans performing everyday tasks that can be used to train robots, while Foundational secured around $11 million to develop a cheaper way to track satellites using lasers. Other startups that caught our eye include one developing a cleaner way to make cement, a startup that helps independent game developers attract players, and a company that wants to turn agricultural waste into a carbon-removal tool, starting on Colombian coffee farms.
Related Crunchbase lists:
• Global Physical AI Venture Funding In 2026
• Space And Satellite Tech Startup Funding
• Global Cleantech Startup Funding In 2026
• Global Agriculture And Farming Funding In 2026
🙈 Jumbo Series A rounds are hiding the real seed-stage squeeze
Giant Series A financings are making headlines, but they’re masking a much tougher fundraising environment for most seed-stage startups, argues Marc Schröder, an early-stage investor and regular Crunchbase News contributor. U.S. Series A deal counts fell 28% year over year in Q3, Crunchbase data shows, and only 24% of startups that raised seed rounds of $1 million or more in 2023 have since progressed beyond seed. With Series A investors increasingly expecting $2 million to $3 million in annual recurring revenue, Schröder makes the case that founders need to plan their seed rounds around realistic fundraising milestones.
Related Crunchbase list: US Seed Funding In 2026
🔐 How AI is creating new threats to companies’ trade secrets
AI is making it easier for employees to misuse proprietary company information — and harder for businesses to contain the damage, warns attorney Seth Kugler, a partner at Grellas Shah. Drawing on a federal trade-secrets case he litigated involving a former employee who allegedly used stolen company information to build an AI-powered competitor, Kugler explains why traditional confidentiality agreements and IT safeguards may no longer be enough and outlines steps founders can take to protect sensitive data.
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