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Quarterly benchmarks from the decks we screen, essays from the desk, and a podcast where GPs, principals and analysts say the quiet part out loud.
The Capital Readiness Benchmark
Every deck we screen feeds one anonymised index. Founders see how fast the cohort climbs when it actually works the gaps; GPs and analysts see how the inbound they’ll screen next quarter is moving.
- $2.4M
- Median ARR at Series A
- 88
- Median score after six re-scores
- 140
- Decks in this quarter's set
Illustrative example. The figures and trend shown are sample content, not a published GoPresent benchmark.
Median Capital Readiness across a four-month raise
Anonymised median across founders who completed six or more comparable runs. Series A cohort only.
As at 31 Jul 2026
| Date | Score |
|---|---|
| 2 Apr 2026 | 41 |
| 24 Apr 2026 | 55 |
| 15 May 2026 | 66 |
| 5 Jun 2026 | 74 |
| 26 Jun 2026 | 82 |
| 24 Jul 2026 | 88 |
Market context
Record funding, and a seed market moving the other way
US venture set a record in the first half of 2026. Almost none of it reached an ordinary round. These are published figures from the venture industry’s standard quarterly review, not our own measurements — every one is page-referenced in the repository.
Median deal value by series
| Series | 2025 | H1 2026 | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SeriesSeed | 2025$3.5M | H1 2026$3.0M | Change (%)↓ -14.3 |
| SeriesSeries A | 2025$14.0M | H1 2026$19.4M | Change (%)↑ +38.6 |
| SeriesSeries B | 2025$30.0M | H1 2026$40.0M | Change (%)↑ +33.3 |
| SeriesSeries C | 2025$50.0M | H1 2026$74.0M | Change (%)↑ +48 |
| SeriesSeries D+ | 2025$100.0M | H1 2026$150.0M | Change (%)↑ +50 |
Seed is the only series in the report whose median deal value fell. A founder benchmarking against the headline is pricing a round the market is not writing.
Where the capital went, H1 2026
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| MeasureTotal US VC deal value, H1 2026Already above the $319.2B raised in the whole of 2025. | Figure$412.7B |
| MeasureShare from rounds of $100M or moreMegadeals took the overwhelming majority of the half-year total. | Figure87.5% |
| MeasureValue in rounds under $100MThe entire sub-megadeal market, across every stage and sector. | Figure$51.4B |
| MeasureSub-$100M share of value: 2024 → 2025 → H1 2026The share of capital reaching ordinary rounds has fallen by roughly two thirds in two years. | Figure43.8% → 33.1% → 12.5% |
| MeasureAI deal value, H1 202686.0% of all venture dollars in the period, from 43.2% of the deal count. | Figure$355.9B |
| MeasureFirst-time financings, H1 2026On pace for more than 10,000 companies raising a first round — a record. | Figure5,674 (est.) |
Source: PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor, Q2 2026 · data as of 30 June 2026. Published by PitchBook Data, Inc.; sponsored by J.P. Morgan, Dentons and EisnerAmper. Figures quoted under citation; commentary is GoPresent’s own.
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