IVCA Feature: Market Perspectives Ahead of the Education Session on “Fundraising Market Conditions & Best Practices”

The next IVCA Education Session will take place on May 28, 2026 (details below). The program, “Fundraising Market Conditions & Best Practices,” will be moderated by Jim Dugan (OCA Ventures) and feature Alex Fisher (Madison Dearborn Partners), Chris Maduri (Eaton Partners), and Rishi Chhabria (The Vistria Group).

Moderator Jim Dugan, Founding Managing Partner of OCA Ventures, shares a preview of the discussion in this Q&A. To complement that perspective, we’ve curated several timely insights from the financial press and industry podcasts.

From the Financial Press

KPMG – Venture Pulse Q1 2026
U.S. venture investment surged to a record $267.2 billion in Q1 2026, driven in part by the $122 billion OpenAI raise. Even excluding that outlier, quarterly funding would still have reached a new high.
Read more: https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2026/venture-pulse-q1-2026.html

Computerworld – AI Venture Funding to Shoot Up This Year
According to S&P Global, generative AI funding exceeded $140 billion in Q1 2026, already surpassing full-year 2025 levels. While deal volume declined amid inflation and geopolitical uncertainty, average deal size increased significantly.
Read more: https://www.computerworld.com/article/4164421/ai-venture-funding-to-shoot-up-this-year-as-bubble-looms.html

Forbes – As Geopolitics Tightens Capital, Venture Funding Becomes Pickier
Rising geopolitical tensions are driving a repricing of risk, increasing the cost of capital and making venture funding more selective. This shift is reshaping which companies attract funding—and which do not.
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dileeprao/2026/03/04/as-geopolitics-tightens-capital-venture-funding-becomes-pickier/

Morgan Stanley – Geopolitics Is the Market Force – What Comes Next?
As globalization gives way to a more fragmented, multipolar landscape, investors must navigate the intersection of geopolitics, energy, and trade policy. Capital allocation is increasingly shaped by supply chain realignment and risk mitigation strategies.
Read more: https://www.morganstanley.com/insights/articles/geopolitical-risk-impact-investors-institute-2026

From Industry Podcasts

Inside Venture Capital – Venture’s Haves and Have-Nots
This discussion explores the growing bifurcation within venture capital, evolving risk dynamics, and how geography impacts investment performance. Research Leader Dan Gray shares insights from a recent survey on early-stage VC trends.
Listen (45 min): https://youtu.be/YBd65oN5RL4?si=4pWusqsYrZv_gjXc

VC Lab – Meet the Managers: Sourcing Top Deals
VC managers from StarChain Ventures, Science Fair Fund, and Geek Ventures discuss sourcing high-conviction startups, building founder relationships, and developing repeatable investment processes that drive results and LP confidence.
Listen (57 min): https://youtu.be/oYNSK-oeYkM?si=iMhKX7fVkqixZo4s

Capital Allocators – Why Culture Matters
This episode highlights how WCM Investment Management operationalizes culture—from hiring for character and emphasizing trust to aligning incentives through shared equity and long-term succession planning.
Listen (55 min): https://youtu.be/x8-rJctvxrk?si=ziC8nR1W0GieDM2d

The IVCA Education Session, “Fundraising Market Conditions & Best Practices,” will take place on May 28 at 1:00 PM at the Conference Center at UBS Tower (One North Wacker Drive, Chicago).

Click here to register and view full details.