Alternative Investing Report - July 16, 2026

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*as of 7/15; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

Global VC funding to fintech startups rose 23% in the first half of the year, though the overall deal count fell by 25%, indicating that investors are concentrating larger checks into fewer companies. The biggest round of the year so far went to Ramp, followed by Ebury, and Alan. Similarly, the cybersecurity sector also saw strong funding levels but reduced deal counts in H1 2026, with eight rounds of $100 million or more led by Cyera, NinjaOne, and Dream.

➨ TAKEAWAY: While AI remains the dominant sector in VC and Pre-IPO, other sectors are still successfully capturing investor attention and capital. However, it is mostly later-stage companies attracting bigger funding rounds, as VC firms look to lay their bets on relatively surer things. Investors should prioritize late-stage category leaders that possess clear paths to profitability, particularly when diversifying away from riskier pure AI plays.

In the newest episode of Smart Humans, Slava Rubin talks with Percent CEO Prath Reddy about the private credit market, investment strategies, and the U.S.'s economic outlook.

📊 Wholesale inflation falls: The Producer Price Index (PPI) inflation report showed a 0.3% decline in June, dropping the annual rate to 5.5%, both coming in below expectations thanks to a fall in gas prices. The core PPI, which excludes food and energy costs, rose 0.2% and is up 5.1% annually.

🏡 Strongest buyer’s markets: U.S. home sellers still outnumber buyers by 48.5%, and the total number of homes for sale hit the highest mark since 2020. Most markets nationwide are now buyer’s markets, with Miami, Nashville, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin leading the way.

🪙 Japan reclassifies Bitcoin: The country’s parliament officially approved legislation reclassifying cryptocurrency from a payment settlement method to a formal "financial asset,” which puts it on the same footing as stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments.

🤖 Chai Discovery fundraise: The AI biotech drug discovery startup raised a $400 million funding round at a $3.8 billion valuation, nearly triple its valuation from last December.

📊 Small business optimism ticks up: The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.2% last month, but still remains slightly below its historical average. The uptick was driven by improved expectations for sales and future business conditions, with inflation still being cited as the biggest concern.

🏀 $3 million Presidential baseballs: A collection of 21 baseballs autographed by every U.S. president since Theodore Roosevelt sold for a record-breaking $3.055 million at Hunt Auctions. The timing of the sale was impeccable, in the wake of the U.S.’s 250th birthday and the MLB All-Star game.

With the World Cup final set for Sunday between Spain and Argentina, let’s take a look at what the leading AI models predicted before the semifinals, based on factors such as team strength, coaching, historical performance, and current form. Eight of the nine models incorrectly picked France to defeat Spain, with only ChatGPT making the right call. Seven of the nine did correctly pick Argentina to defeat England, with four of them picking Argentina to win it all. Not a single model picked Spain to win the World Cup, though the betting markets now have them as clear favorites. Of course, AI models are not yet able to tell the future, and predicting the outcome of sporting events is difficult. But for anyone thinking about using them as resources for sports betting, it’s probably not the best idea.