Austin Powered Texas Past Boston in Q1 Venture Funding

For the first time ever, Texas startups out-raised Massachusetts startups in a single quarter, and Austin companies did most of the heavy lifting.

According to newly-released data from PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association, Texas-based startups raised $5.8B in Q1 2026, edging past Massachusetts's $5.3B. A first in the state's history.

The Austin companies driving the milestone:

• Saronic (autonomous naval vessels), $1.75B
• Apptronik (humanoid robots, a UT Austin spinout), $935M
• CesiumAstro (satellite communications), $470M
• inKind (restaurant software), $450M

That's $3.6B from four Austin-headquartered companies, roughly 64% of the entire state's Q1 haul.

The shift from "up-and-coming" to top-tier ecosystem is no longer theoretical. Austin has arrived.