Alternative Investing Report - July 7, 2026

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*as of 7/6; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

Global venture funding hit a record-breaking $510 billion in the first half of 2026, surpassing the total for all of last year. More than 40% of the funding total came from OpenAI and Anthropic’s mega-raises, as funding remains heavily concentrated and total deal counts continue to fall. The exit market also hit a record-high in Q2, largely thanks to SpaceX's landmark $1.77 trillion IPO and its subsequent $60 billion acquisition of AI developer Anysphere.

➨ TAKEAWAY: Roughly 70% of the funding went to AI companies, and late-stage investment more than doubled compared to Q2 last year, clear indicators on where investor demand is focused. The long-awaited return of liquidity also promises to boost fundraising going forward, particularly as SpaceX’s lockup periods expire and when Anthropic and OpenAI go public themselves. Expect the next tier of major late-stage startups in hot sectors like AI, defense tech, and robotics to benefit, and to see their valuations rise as more capital flows in.

🏢 Top office markets: The highest average office rent per square foot in the country is now in Miami, which beat out New York, Washington DC and San Francisco. The surge in rents is due largely to luxury and Class A office spaces in highly desirable downtown Miami neighborhoods, which are attracting transplants from all over the country.

🤖 Together AI fundraise: The AI infrastructure startup raised a $800 million round at a $8.3 billion valuation, nearly triple its $3.3 billion valuation from February 2025. The AI infrastructure sector has been one of the hottest in Pre-IPO investing — which is why we will be covering it in our next investor briefing.

💵 Private credit withdrawals: Across widely-held private credit funds, investors requested to withdraw nearly $16 billion in Q2, up from the $14 billion requested in Q1. However, funds returned just $5.9 billion of those requests, as most funds decided to limit withdrawals.

🚀 Cleantech funding: The cleantech sector attracted $15 billion of venture capital funding in the first half of 2026, putting it on pace to beat last year’s total, though still significantly below the 2021/2022 peaks. Though with global electricity demand rising due in part to the rise of AI, the sector is ripe for a turnaround.

🪙 Trump boosts Bitcoin: The cryptocurrency is up more than 6% in the past week, as President Trump labeled himself a “big crypto guy” and implied that Bitcoin could be added to the recently launched Trump Accounts. The danger of crypto and Bitcoin becoming strongly linked to Trump is that it could turn off the half of the country that doesn’t support him.

🦖 $19 million T-Rex: A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed "Gus" is coming up for sale at Sotheby's starting next week with a starting bid of $19 million, and can be viewed at the auction house’s New York City headquarters. The skeleton is 61% complete, making it one of the most complete T-Rex skeletons ever found.

An entire 83-acre historic Pennsylvania village is available, complete with 121 residential and 13 commercial properties, including shops and a popular inn and restaurant. Located around an hour northwest of Philadelphia, St. Peter’s Village was established in the 1880s as a mining and quarry town, and has become a tourist destination due to its history and surroundings. The buyer of the property will also obtain mineral rights that include documented iron ore deposits. The auction will be held on September 30 at the Desmond Hotel Malvern in Malvern, PA, and all bidders must provide a $150,000 cashier’s check.