Alternative Investing Report - February 10, 2026

*as of 2/9; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

AI has sucked up most of the oxygen in the pre-IPO startup space in the last year, but there are a number of other sectors that have seen funding levels increase significantly in the same time period. Defense tech brought in more than double the amount of capital in 2025 compared to 2024, led by Anduril’s $2.5 billion round. Funding to legal tech startups nearly doubled in 2025, led by Clio, Harvey, and Filevine. The robotics sector saw its funding grow 70% last year, with Figure and Apptronik seeing their valuations spike. Cybersecurity and fintech also saw significant growth in 2025, with notable raises to data security platform Cyera and prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi.

➨ TAKEAWAY: It can be easy to forget that there are non-AI companies and sectors worth pursuing as an investor. Just last week, consumer companies Once Upon a Farm and Bob’s Discount Furniture had their public offerings, with the former’s share prices spiking 40% already, and the latter up 5% with a valuation topping $2 billion.

🪙 Crypto VCs looking elsewhere: As the crypto market flails, some crypto venture capital funds are shifting their funds to stablecoin companies, prediction markets, and even non-crypto sectors like AI and fintech. Our next investor event on Thursday will cover this exact topic - register now!

🏢 Top U.S. CRE markets: U.S. CRE investment sales volume was $472.6 billion in 2025, a 19.9% year-over-year gain, with the most deal volume coming in Dallas-Fort Worth, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York.

🤖 SambaNova fundraise: After acquisition talks at a $1.6 billion valuation with Intel fell apart, the AI chip maker is raising a $350 million round — with Intel’s participation — at an undisclosed valuation.

🎨 Michelangelo drawing record: A drawing of a foot by the Renaissance master sold for a staggering $27.2 million compared to the pre-sale estimate of $1.5 - $2 million. The sale set a new record for any Michelangelo drawing, and is one of the most expensive drawings ever sold.

🏡 Starter home demand: The median size of newly built homes has fallen nearly 10% since 2022, as younger buyers search for smaller, more affordable abodes, but there is still a distinct lack of supply of properties intended for couples or smaller families.

🚀 Climate tech funding: VC investment in climate tech was steady year-over-year, with $42.2 billion in funding in 2025, led by Crusoe’s $1.4 billion and Base Power’s $1 billion rounds.

If any city dweller is looking for a change of pace, a 27-acre New Jersey working farm is coming up for auction in April, with two tour dates open to the public on February 19 and March 31. The Patricelli Farm is located in Hopewell Township, just outside of Trenton and next to the Pennsylvania border. The property includes a single family residence and is surrounded by open fields and other farms. Of the nearly 24 acres of tillable land, 2/3rds consists of Prime Farmland soil, and 1/3rd of Statewide Important soil. Be warned though, it is considered a preserved farm, which means development is restricted and it can only be used for agriculture, so any buyer really should want to become a farmer.