## Private Market Insights

# Data Desk

Our research helps founders, investors, and employees navigate the world of startups with more clarity.

## Interact with the latest VC data

Carta's round benchmarking tool enables you to query our proprietary dataset on deal sizes and valuations. Filter by stage, sector, and geography in order to get the most customized benchmark for your fundraising situation.

## Read our reports

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**The front office advantage: Carta is the official sponsor of the Golden State Warriors 2026 NBA Draft**\
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Learn how to draft your startup's team like an NBA front office with Carta's latest, exclusive analysis: The Total Comp Scouting Report.](/content/blog/golden-state-warriors-draft-2026/index.html)

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**VC Fund Performance: Q1 2026**\
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Venture capital fund performance rebounded in Q1 2026: Carta funds raised $3.9B across 86 new funds, while TVPI climbed for nearly every recent vintage.](/content/data/vc-fund-performance-q1-2026/index.html)

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**State of Private Markets: Q1 2026**\
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Venture capital is making a comeback, with $30.4 billion raised in Q1 2026, fewer down rounds and less dilution. However, over 60% of funding went to AI, creating a huge valuation gap for startups.](/content/data/state-of-private-markets-q1-2026/index.html)

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**State of Pre-Seed: Q1 2026**\
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Pre-seed startup funding in Q1 2026 matches recent quarters, suggesting a stabilization of the market.](/content/data/state-of-pre-seed-q1-2026/index.html)

## The Data Minute podcast

# [How to Hire Before You Raise \| Francois Ajenstat, Founder and CEO, Golden Analytics](https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/3nVHLgLL2UEDw5bptd5nto)

## · [The Data Minute](https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/3nVHLgLL2UEDw5bptd5nto)

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Podcast\
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January 2026\
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Why VCs Should Be Pirates\
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Peter sits down with Arian Ghashghai, Founding Partner at Earthling VC, to discuss his thesis of investing in "weird stuff early."\
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View](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNOZ4fpvB1w)

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Podcast\
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January 2026\
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2026 Market Outlook\
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In this special New Year’s episode of The Data Minute, Peter sits down with his colleague Ashley Neville from Carta’s Insights Team to dissect the data that defined 2025 and forecast the trends shaping the year ahead.\
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View](https://youtu.be/oTFWf7ib5Q4)

## Events

[![[VE] Fundraising in 2026: Benchmarks, Trends, and What’s Different Now](https://images.ctfassets.net/y88td1zx1ufe/42AfmTCJPSb47uULKTDwlX/62da89c6fac105977816a73d4754703b/Event__1200x675___2_.png)\
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Virtual Event\
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**Fundraising in 2026: Benchmarks, Trends, and What’s Different Now**\
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This webinar recording analyzes fundraising trends across priced rounds, including volume, valuation trends, bridge and down rounds, dilution, and time between raises.](/content/events/fundraising-in-2026/index.html)

[View all events](/content/events/index.html)

## Read our data stories

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Data & Research\
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July 2026\
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Interact with Carta data using the Round Benchmarking Tool\
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Discover real-time insights on round sizes, valuations, and dilution with Carta's Round Benchmarking Tool. Tailor benchmarks by stage, sector, and region.\
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View](/content/data/round-benchmarking-tool/index.html)

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Data & Research\
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July 2026\
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In a slow fundraising environment, investors spy an opportunity for emerging managers\
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In the midst of a relatively stagnant fundraising environment, emerging fund managers may have an appealing value proposition to present to LPs.\
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View](/content/data/emerging-managers-fundraising-2026/index.html)

**About our data**

Carta helps more than 50,000 startups and over 1,700,000 security holders manage over $4.5 trillion in equity. We share insights from this unmatched dataset about the private markets and venture ecosystem to help founders, employees, and investors make informed decisions and understand market conditions.