Startup exits valued at $1 billion or more are now more numerous than at any point since the 2021 market peak, Crunchbase data shows. That’s the trend we’re seeing for the second quarter of 2026. This period has brought us both the largest venture-backed exit of all time, with SpaceX, and a bevy of other comparatively tinier but still sizable startup exits through acquisition or IPO. Overall, we’re still well behind the prior high in terms of the number of big exits, as you can see charted below...