Venture funding rounds this year have pushed AI startup valuations to multiply within months, with companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI seeing successive rounds lift valuations dramatically. The report cites examples where Series E/F rounds climbed from tens of billions to triple-digit valuations and flags the pace of funding as a signal of both intense investor competition and elevated expectations for commercial returns. For academic tech-transfer offices and university spinouts, the environment presents both opportunity and risk: faster exits and larger checks, but also higher expectations and potential volatility.