In the first quarter of 2025, acquisition activity among startups increased significantly, reaching a total of $71 billion in M&A deals globally. This surge marked the strongest quarter for startup M&A dollar volume since 2021, involving 550 deals, a 26% rise from the prior year. Major transactions included Google's proposed $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Wiz. Twelve acquisitions surpassed $1 billion in value, with key deals such as SoftBank's acquisition of Ampere Computing and Clearlake Capital Group's purchase of Modernizing Medicine. The AI sector generated 81 M&A deals, a nearly 33% increase from previous quarters. Private equity firms engaged in over $56 billion of disclosed transactions on venture-backed companies in 2024, with 22 acquisitions announced in Q1 2025. Notable private equity transactions included HealthEdge's sale to Bain Capital for about $2.6 billion. Startups also acted as buyers, with 423 venture-backed companies in the U.S. acquired over the past year, including Stripe's acquisition of Bridge and AlphaSense's purchase of Tegus. Despite market instability, optimism persists regarding future M&A activity.

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