Dispatch
Startups bought other startups 500+ times in 2026, and OpenAI and Anthropic are among the most active buyers
Crunchbase counts more than 500 deals this year where a seed or venture-backed private company acquired another private venture-backed firm, though the distribution is lopsided: 440 closed in the first half and fewer than 100 so far in the second. OpenAI leads with 8 acquisitions in 2026 and at least 19 lifetime; Anthropic has done 5 or more including Coefficient Bio at $400 million; MoonPay did 5 crypto deals between April and July. Databricks, Cyera, Harvey and Legora also appear as repeat acquirers, with 2026 running roughly flat against 2025.
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