New York City’s venture capital market posted a strong April 2026, with startups raising $1.79 billion across 65 deals — a 27.7% increase in capital year-over-year from the $1.4 billion raised across 62 deals in April 2025. Deal volume edged up 4.8%, signaling that the capital increase was driven by a rise in round sizes rather than a surge in transaction count. VAST Data’s $500 million late-stage equity raise was the month’s largest deal, representing 28.0% of all capital deployed in the ecosystem.
- NYC startups raised $1.79B across 65 deals in April 2026
- Capital grew +27.7% year-over-year; deal count grew a modest +4.8%
- AI companies captured 66.7% of all capital deployed — $1.19B across 33 deals
- VAST Data’s $500M equity raise was the month’s largest deal, representing 28.0% of NYC’s total
- Late-stage rounds accounted for 50.6% of capital deployed across just 7 deals
- NYC represented 8.6% of US venture capital and 14.7% of national deal volume
- Average deal size: $27.5M | Median deal size: $10.0M
Funding by Stage — NYC
| Stage | Capital Deployed | Deal Count | Avg Deal Size | % of Total Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early-Stage | $136.2M | 28 | $4.9M | 7.6% |
| Series A | $394.7M | 21 | $18.8M | 22.1% |
| Series B | $351.4M | 9 | $39.0M | 19.7% |
| Late-Stage | $905.3M | 7 | $129.3M | 50.6% |
| Total | $1.79B | 65 | $27.5M | 100% |
Top 10 NYC Venture Capital Deals — April 2026
| # | Company | Amount | Stage | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VAST Data | $500M | Late-Stage | AI Infrastructure, Database, Software |
| 2 | Rogo | $160M | Late-Stage | Artificial Intelligence, Financial Services, FinTech |
| 3 | Avoca | $125M | Series B | Artificial Intelligence, Business Process Automation |
| 4 | Chapter | $100M | Late-Stage | Health Care, Health Insurance, Medicare |
| 5 | Kashable | $60M | Late-Stage | Consumer Finance, Employee Benefits, FinTech |
| 6 | Manifest OS | $60M | Series A | Artificial Intelligence, Legal Technology |
| 7 | Artemis | $55M | Series A | Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity |
| 8 | Courier Health | $50M | Series B | CRM, Health Care, Life Sciences, Software |
| 9 | Actively | $45M | Series B | Artificial Intelligence, Marketing Automation, Sales Automation |
| 10 | Versana | $43M | Late-Stage | Data Integration, Finance, FinTech |
VAST Data Leads a Strong Month for AI Infrastructure
April 2026’s largest transaction was VAST Data, the NYC-based AI infrastructure company, which raised a $500 million late-stage equity round. VAST Data’s platform integrates storage, database, and compute capabilities into a unified AI operating system, making it a foundational player in the infrastructure stack that increasingly underpins enterprise AI deployments. The raise underscores how investors are placing large, concentrated bets on the picks-and-shovels layer of the AI economy.
Excluding VAST Data, the remaining 64 deals totaled $1.29 billion — a figure that, on its own, would represent a healthy month for the ecosystem. The AI theme extended well beyond a single deal: Rogo raised $160 million for its AI platform serving investment banks and financial institutions, while Avoca secured $125 million in a Series B for its AI agents handling customer interactions. Manifest OS, building AI-native law firms, raised $60 million in a Series A, and cybersecurity AI company Artemis closed a $55 million Series A. Altogether, AI companies captured 66.7% of all NYC venture capital deployed in April — $1.19 billion across 33 deals.
Late-Stage Capital Leads; Series A and B Show Balanced Depth
Late-stage rounds commanded 50.6% of all capital deployed in April, with 7 deals accounting for $905.3 million. Beyond VAST Data, the late-stage cohort included Chapter ($100M for its Medicare navigation platform), Rogo ($160M), Kashable ($60M for employer-sponsored fintech), and Versana ($43M for loan market infrastructure) — a diverse set of sectors reflecting the maturity of NYC’s later-stage pipeline.
Series A activity was robust, with 21 deals totaling $394.7 million and an average round size of $18.8 million. Series B produced 9 deals worth $351.4 million, led by Avoca ($125M), Courier Health ($50M), and Actively ($45M). Together, Series A and B rounds represented 41.8% of total capital and 46.2% of deal count — indicating a healthy mid-stage pipeline beneath the late-stage headline. Early-stage activity was the most active by deal count, with 28 deals totaling $136.2 million at an average of $4.9 million per deal.
Healthcare and Fintech Round Out the Ecosystem
While AI dominated the capital headlines, healthcare and fintech companies demonstrated steady investor appetite outside the AI theme. Chapter raised $100 million in a late-stage round for its Medicare advisory platform helping seniors navigate health coverage — a sector benefiting from long-term demographic tailwinds. Courier Health closed a $50 million Series B for its patient relationship management platform serving the life sciences and biopharma sectors. Kashable raised $60 million for its employer-sponsored lending and financial wellness platform, while Versana secured $43 million to expand its loan market infrastructure services. These rounds highlight that NYC’s venture ecosystem remains diverse, even as AI commands a significant share of the capital deployed.
NYC vs. US National Venture Capital — April 2026
| Stage | NYC Capital | NYC Deals | NYC % of Total | US Capital | US Deals | US % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early-Stage | $136.2M | 28 | 7.6% | $1.13B | 254 | 5.4% |
| Series A | $394.7M | 21 | 22.1% | $1.96B | 98 | 9.4% |
| Series B | $351.4M | 9 | 19.7% | $1.83B | 40 | 8.8% |
| Late-Stage | $905.3M | 7 | 50.6% | $15.89B | 50 | 76.4% |
| Total | $1.79B | 65 | 100% | $20.80B | 442 | 100% |
Nationally, US venture capital activity totaled $20.80 billion across 442 deals in April 2026. New York City accounted for 8.6% of US venture capital deployed and 14.7% of national deal volume. The US market’s late-stage concentration was more pronounced at the national level — 76.4% of capital went to late-stage deals, driven in part by Project Prometheus’s $10 billion raise. AI companies across the country captured 73.0% of all US venture capital, compared to NYC’s 66.7% AI capital share, reflecting strong AI investment momentum nationally while NYC’s ecosystem showed notable breadth across non-AI sectors as well.
Looking Ahead
April’s results demonstrate continued momentum in New York’s venture ecosystem, with capital growth of 27.7% year-over-year on largely stable deal volume — a sign of expanding round sizes rather than a broader surge in activity. The healthy spread of investment across Series A and B stages alongside late-stage activity suggests a well-functioning pipeline. As AI investment matures and enterprise adoption deepens, infrastructure and tooling companies are increasingly commanding institutional-scale commitments, as VAST Data’s raise illustrates. Whether May sustains this pace will depend on macroeconomic conditions and whether another large-scale AI round emerges from the city’s growing roster of well-funded startups.
Methodology
Data for this report is sourced from AlleyWatch proprietary funding data (funding.alleywatch.com) and covers venture capital rounds announced or closed in April 2026 by NYC-headquartered startups. Deals are classified into four stages: Early-Stage (pre-seed, seed, angel, accelerator, and incubator rounds); Series A; Series B; and Late-Stage (Series C and beyond). AI company classification is based on the presence of relevant keywords across company description and industry fields. US figures are reported independently; NYC totals in national comparisons reflect the NYC dataset. All figures are in USD.
