# Record Dollars, Fewest Deals: The VC Paradox Nobody Is Leading With - Date: 2026-04-21 - Category: Agentics Q1 2026 saw $285.5B in venture capital deployed — a record — across just 7,000 deals, the fewest since late 2016 and 61% below the 2022 peak. More dollars, fewer bets, lower than almost any quarter in the last decade. That is the paradox nobody else is leading with. ---