US venture capital firms keep raising gigantic funds at an unprecedented pace even as valuations fall for late-stage companies and growing geopolitical risks loom.

Just two months into 2022, the nation's venture ecosystem has raised over $50 billion across 132 funds, according to PitchBook data. That's already nearly 40% of last year's record-breaking fundraising figure of $132.5 billion.

Founders Fund, a firm that has backed the likes of Facebook, Airbnb and Palantir, is the latest firm to secure its largest capital commitment yet. Last week, the 17-year-old firm founded by Peter Thiel announced that it raised $5 billion across two funds, a $1.9 billion venture vehicle and $3.4 billion growth fund, as reported by Bloomberg.

That's a step up from the firm's previous main and growth-stage funds of $1.5 billion each that closed over two years ago.
 
 

The latest collection of capital brings Founders Fund's total assets under management to $11 billion, according to the report. Other firms that notched new record hauls this year are Andreessen Horowitz, which closed $9 billion in new funds in early January, and Insight Partners, which announced a $20 billion flagship fund last month.

2022 is expected to be a record year in venture capital fundraising, according to PitchBook's conversations with several limited partners. However, some investors have expressed concerns that they will not be able to fulfill capital demands from their current VC managers.

Featured image of Founders Fund founder Peter Thiel by VCG/Getty Images

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