According to a TechCrunch analysis, 49 U.S. based AI startups raised $100 million or more in 2024, setting the stage for strong momentum that carried into 2025. While the number of single billion-dollar rounds declined slightly, overall AI funding did not slow — it evolved.
Capital increasingly flowed toward AI startups with clear execution paths, enterprise adoption, and infrastructure-level relevance, reinforcing artificial intelligence as a core layer of modern technology rather than an experimental bet.
Why AI Startup Funding Remained Strong in 2025
The artificial intelligence sector entered 2025 with structural tailwinds already in place:
- In 2024, seven AI startups raised individual rounds of $1 billion or more
- Three companies raised multiple mega-rounds
- In 2025, eight companies raised multiple large rounds, compared with just three in 2024
This shift reflects a decisive change in investor behavior, less emphasis on one-time mega-rounds, more focus on repeat funding tied to delivery, scale, and platform maturity. One of the clearest examples was Anthropic, which raised multiple billion-dollar rounds, signaling long-term confidence rather than speculative enthusiasm.
USA Based Top AI Startups That Raised $100M+ Funding in 2025 (By Month)
Below is a curated list of hottest AI startups in the U.S. that secured $100M or more, grouped by announcement period, and why each category mattered to investors.
December 2025: AI Infrastructure and Core Systems Held Strong
AI Funding momentum carried through year-end, underscoring sustained demand:
- Mythic – $125M (AI compute efficiency)
- Chai Discovery – $130M (AI for biotech and drug discovery)
- Fal – $140M Series D (generative media infrastructure)
- Unconventional AI – $475M seed (next-generation AI computing)
- 7AI – $130M Series A (AI cybersecurity agents)
Investor signal: Infrastructure and system-level AI remained a priority even late in the year.
November 2025: Enterprise and Developer AI Took Center Stage
- Genspark – $275M (AI productivity workspace)
- Luma AI – $900M (AI photo and video models)
- Cursor – $2.3B (AI-native coding platform)
- Parallel – $100M (AI agent web infrastructure)
- Hippocratic AI – $126M (healthcare AI agents)
Investor signal: Developer acceleration and vertical AI platforms were viewed as scalable revenue engines.
October 2025: Large-Scale Enterprise and Infrastructure Plays
- Reflection AI – $2B Series B (autonomous AI systems)
- Uniphore – $260M (enterprise AI workflows)
- Fireworks AI – $250M (open-source AI application platform)
- OpenEvidence – $200M (medical AI assistant)
- Lila Sciences – $350M (science superintelligence)
Investor signal: AI platforms supporting regulated and enterprise environments attracted premium valuations.
September 2025: One of the Most Capital-Intensive Months
- Cerebras Systems – $1.1B (AI infrastructure)
- Groq – $750M (AI inference)
- Anthropic – $13B Series F
- Sierra – $350M (AI customer service agents)
- Cognition AI – $400M (autonomous coding agent)
- Baseten – $150M (AI deployment infrastructure)
Investor signal: Capital concentrated around AI systems capable of operating at global scale.
August to June 2025: Healthcare, Legal, and Enterprise AI
Notable rounds included:
- EliseAI – $250M
- Thinking Machines Lab – $2B
- Abridge – $300M
- Harvey – $300M
- Glean – $150M (enterprise AI search)
- Cursor – $900M Series C
Early 2025: Momentum Was Already Established
- OpenAI – $40B funding round (March 31)
- Together AI – $305M
- Lambda – $480M
- ElevenLabs – $180M
- Hippocratic AI – $141M
These early rounds set the tone for the rest of the year.
Why AI Funding Is Surging — Not Slowing
Across 2024 and 2025, four categories consistently attracted the largest investments:
- AI infrastructure startups (compute, inference, orchestration)
- Enterprise AI platforms (search, legal, customer service)
- Generative AI startups integrated into workflows
- AI systems for regulated industries (healthcare, life sciences)
This concentration reflects enterprise demand for reliable, deployable, and defensible AI systems, not experimental tools.
The Growing Role of Strategic Investors
Another defining trend was the increasing involvement of strategic capital. Major technology players including Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google participated repeatedly in late-stage AI funding rounds. This signals that AI is now viewed as core enterprise infrastructure, not an optional add-on.
What This Means for AI Investors in 2026
Although early 2026 funding announcements fall outside the 2025 dataset, they provide directional insight:
- xAI announced a $20B Series E
- Merge Labs raised $250M at seed stage
2026 Outlook (Based on TechCrunch Trends)
- Fewer but larger AI platforms will dominate
- Repeat funding will outweigh one-off mega-rounds
- Infrastructure, agents, and enterprise systems will command premium valuations
- Strategic buyers will shape exits more than IPOs
For investors, the opportunity in 2026 lies less in chasing hype and more in identifying AI startups building foundational systems with long-term enterprise lock-in.
Bottom Line
AI is no longer a speculative category. Based on TechCrunch’s funding data, AI startups securing $100M+ rounds are shaping the next generation of enterprise technology, and capital continues to follow execution, scale, and infrastructure relevance. For investors and enterprises alike, the question heading into 2026 is no longer whether AI will dominate but which platforms will become unavoidable.
