## 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 ### The front office advantage: Carta is the official sponsor of the Golden State Warriors 2026 NBA Draft Learn how to draft your startup's team like an NBA front office with Carta's latest, exclusive analysis: The Total Comp Scouting Report. [Read the report](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/blog/golden-state-warriors-draft-2026/) ### VC Fund Performance: Q1 2026 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. [Read the report](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/vc-fund-performance-q1-2026/) ### State of Private Markets: Q1 2026 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. [Read the report](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/state-of-private-markets-q1-2026/) ### State of Pre-Seed: Q1 2026 Pre-seed startup funding in Q1 2026 matches recent quarters, suggesting a stabilization of the market. [Read the report](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/state-of-pre-seed-q1-2026/) ## The Data Minute podcast How to Hire Before You Raise | Francois Ajenstat, Founder and CEO, Golden Analytics - The Data Minute | Spotify [Play on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/3nVHLgLL2UEDw5bptd5nto?go=1&sp_cid=bd6d172baf458333f30652c245c6b710&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop "Play on Spotify") ### Jul 9· The Data Minute Save on Spotify ## Events ### Fundraising in 2026: Benchmarks, Trends, and What’s Different Now This webinar recording analyzes fundraising trends across priced rounds, including volume, valuation trends, bridge and down rounds, dilution, and time between raises. [Watch the event](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/events/fundraising-in-2026/) ### Fund Economics: Demystifying Operations, Fees, and Expenses [Watch the event](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/events/fund-economics-report-2025/) ### RAISE Emerging Manager Fund Analysis [Watch the event](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/events/raise-fund-analysis/) ### The New Dynamics of Venture, Private Equity, and Credit: Five Trends Shaping the Private Market [Watch the event](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/events/five-trends-private-market/) ## Read our data stories ### Interact with Carta data using the Round Benchmarking Tool Discover real-time insights on round sizes, valuations, and dilution with Carta's Round Benchmarking Tool. Tailor benchmarks by stage, sector, and region. [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/round-benchmarking-tool/) ### In a slow fundraising environment, investors spy an opportunity for emerging managers In the midst of a relatively stagnant fundraising environment, emerging fund managers may have an appealing value proposition to present to LPs. [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/emerging-managers-fundraising-2026/) ### As PE’s exit math changes, investors are finding new ways to drive portfolio growth PE firms are holding onto portfolio companies longer than they used to, and standout exits have grown increasingly rare. In response, the PE industry is finding new ways to drive growth and work toward the exits they need. [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/pe-exit-math-changes/) ### How PE firms are investing in AI amid a once-in-a-generation boom PE firms typically don't invest in the sort of high-growth startups that dominate the AI market today. But that doesn't mean PE is sitting out the AI revolution. [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/pe-investing-in-ai-2026/) [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/blog/golden-state-warriors-draft-2026/) ### Dynamic duos: Two-founder teams are divvying up their equity more equally than ever Founding teams come in many sizes. But two-founder teams are the most successful when it comes to raising capital. And in recent years, the way these two-founder teams divide their equity has undergone a sizable shift. [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/two-founder-teams/) ### PE firms are busy buying up secondary investment firms. What does it mean for LPs? PE firms are acquiring secondary investment firms. Explore what this consolidation means for LPs, from potential conflicts to new deal opportunities. [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/secondaries-market-consolidation/) ### Here's how (and why) executive equity grants differ between PE-backed portfolio companies and VC-backed startups PE-backed companies use executive equity in different ways than VC-backed startups. A close look at how structure, ownership, and exit math help shape the equity landscape in PE. [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/exec-equity-grants-pe-vs-vc/) ### How buy-side dynamics are shifting in the white-hot secondary market As investment activity booms, the secondaries landscape is undergoing a generational shift. How can buy-side investors ensure they're keeping pace? [Read the story](https://fund-forecasting@carta.com/uk/en/data/buy-side-dynamics-secondaries/) **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. The customer data that we publish is aggregated and anonymized. Companies that have contractually requested that we not use their data in anonymized and aggregated studies are not included in our analysis.