Private Equity 24-Hour Briefing

Last updated: July 5, 2026, 11:30 PM ET

Venture Capital & Unicorns

The surge in artificial intelligence has fueled a dramatic increase in startup valuations, with nearly 90 new unicorns techcrunch.com minted this year alone. This AI-driven frenzy is reshaping the venture capital landscape, propelling previously lesser-known companies into the billion-dollar valuation club. Among these is Bending Spoons, an Italian tech firm that, despite serving over a billion users globally with its suite of apps, remains largely unrecognized by the public.