What's New PitchBook's 2026 US Venture Capital Outlook forecasts a counterintuitive surge in early-stage deal activity despite sluggish fundraising, driven by multistage firms deploying aggressive seed strategies and AI capturing an unprecedented 65% of total deal value. First-time financing activity through Q3 2025 was just 200 deals behind 2021's record pace, defying expectations for a liquidity-constrained market. Why It Matters The fundamental structure of venture dealm

Secondaries now drive 71% of VC exits as firms adapt to longer hold periods and seek strategic liquidity options.

The private equity industry faces a paradox where experienced professionals with decades of track records are labeled "emerging managers" simply because they're launching first-time funds.

The venture capital ecosystem is grappling with fundamental questions about optimal fund sizing as emerging managers weigh the benefits of scaling operations against maintaining focused specialization strategies. The entire Screendoor team—Lisa Cawley, Layne Johnson, and Jamie Rhode—joined the Superclusters podcast to address critical questions from three emerging GPs about LP motivations, venture transparency, and scaling decisions.