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AI Startup Funding 2026 Statistics (Updated September)

43 statistics on AI startup funding. 11 come from journal papers and working papers, 1 from a Harvard bachelor's thesis, 25 from data firms and investors, and 6 from the FundingWatcher file of 165,218 funded startups.

Adrian Brandt
Written by
Adrian Brandt
SEO Consultant
Published
September 24, 2026
Last modified
September 24, 2026
Sources verified

Top 10

  1. AI companies took close to 50% of all global venture funding in 2025, up from 34% in 2024.
  2. 43.8% of the startups whose latest funding round is dated 2026 are AI companies, up from 15.4% of those whose latest round was in 2021.
  3. AI venture funding reached $255.5 billion in Q1 2026, more than the $254.4 billion PitchBook counted for all of 2025.
  4. AI companies raised $242 billion in Q1 2026, 80% of global venture funding that quarter; the previous record share was 55%, in Q1 2025.
  5. The median 2026 seed round was $3.2 million for AI startups and $2.0 million for other startups.
  6. Foundation model companies raised $80 billion in 2025, 40% of global AI funding, up from $31 billion and about 27% in 2024.
  7. Nearly 88% of AI startup funding in 2026 so far, $319 billion, went to US-headquartered companies.
  8. 57.7% of funded startups founded in 2025 are AI companies, against 19.2% of those founded in 2021.
  9. A Harvard bachelor's thesis found that, in a matched sample of 7,918 US early-stage startups founded from 2010 to 2022, those classified as AI raised 33% to 42% more venture capital than comparable non-AI startups.
  10. The number of AI venture deals in Q1 2026 was the lowest since 2018, 51% below the Q1 2022 peak, while the average deal size more than doubled to $24 million.

How much funding do AI startups raise

  1. 1

    AI companies took close to 50% of all global venture funding in 2025, up from 34% in 2024.

    Source: Crunchbase News, 2025 [1]

  2. 2

    Investors put $202.3 billion into AI companies in 2025 by mid-December, more than 75% above the $114 billion of 2024.

    Source: Crunchbase News, 2025 [1]

  3. 3

    AI startups raised $215.9 billion in venture funding in 2025, nearly ten times the amount of five years earlier, Dealroom counted.

    Source: Dealroom, 2026 [2]

  4. 4

    AI venture funding reached $255.5 billion in Q1 2026, more than the $254.4 billion PitchBook counted for all of 2025.

    Source: PitchBook, AI VC Trends, 2026 [3]

  5. 5

    AI companies raised $242 billion in Q1 2026, 80% of global venture funding that quarter; the previous record share was 55%, in Q1 2025.

    Source: Crunchbase News, 2026 [4]

  6. 6

    AI startups raised $399.0 billion in the first half of 2026, and Dealroom projects $797.9 billion for the full year, 270% more than 2025.

    Source: Dealroom, 2026 [2]

  7. 7

    Private investment in AI companies grew 127.5% in 2025 and made up 60% of global corporate AI investment, which more than doubled.

    Source: Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2026, 2026 [5]

  8. 8

    The number of newly funded AI companies rose 71% in 2025, and funding rounds of $1 billion or more nearly doubled.

    Source: Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2026, 2026 [5]

  9. 9

    Global corporate AI investment was $252.3 billion in 2024, with private investment up 44.5% from 2023.

    Source: Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2025, 2025 [6]

What share of funded startups are AI companies

  1. 10

    43.8% of the startups whose latest funding round is dated 2026 are AI companies, up from 15.4% of those whose latest round was in 2021.

    Source: FundingWatcher · latest rounds dated 2021 and January to mid-September 2026 · 4,652 of 10,622 startups with a category (2026); 1,712 of 11,148 (2021) · method

  2. 11

    57.7% of funded startups founded in 2025 are AI companies, against 19.2% of those founded in 2021.

    Source: FundingWatcher · startups founded 2021 to 2025, file as of September 15, 2026 · 4,841 funded startups founded in 2025 with a category; 11,701 founded in 2021 · method

  3. 12

    The median 2026 seed round was $3.2 million for AI startups and $2.0 million for other startups.

    Source: FundingWatcher · latest rounds dated January to mid-September 2026 · 1,552 AI seed rounds and 1,957 non-AI seed rounds with an amount · method

  4. 13

    The median 2026 Series A was $20.0 million for AI startups and $14.0 million for other startups.

    Source: FundingWatcher · latest rounds dated January to mid-September 2026 · 564 AI Series A rounds and 882 non-AI Series A rounds with an amount · method

  5. 14

    54.4% of the AI startups whose latest round is dated 2025 or 2026 are based in the US; 6.5% are in China and 5.7% in the UK.

    Source: FundingWatcher · latest rounds dated January 2025 to mid-September 2026 · 5,742 of 10,548 AI startups (329 with no country recorded) · method

  6. 15

    154 of the 510 unicorns in the FundingWatcher startup file (30.2%) are AI companies.

    Source: FundingWatcher · file as of September 15, 2026 · 510 startups flagged as unicorns · method

How much goes to generative AI and model makers

  1. 16

    Private investment in generative AI reached $33.9 billion in 2024, up 18.7% from 2023 and more than 8.5 times the 2022 level.

    Source: Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2025, 2025 [6]

  2. 17

    Generative AI investment grew more than 200% in 2025 and took nearly half of all private AI funding.

    Source: Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2026, 2026 [5]

  3. 18

    Foundation model companies raised $80 billion in 2025, 40% of global AI funding, up from $31 billion and about 27% in 2024.

    Source: Crunchbase News, 2025 [1]

  4. 19

    OpenAI ($122 billion), Anthropic ($30 billion), xAI ($20 billion) and Waymo ($16 billion) raised $188 billion in Q1 2026, 65% of all global venture investment that quarter.

    Source: Crunchbase News, 2026 [4]

  5. 20

    Horizontal AI platforms, the segment that holds OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI, raised $197 billion across 396 deals in Q1 2026, more than in all of 2025.

    Source: PitchBook, AI VC Trends, 2026 [3]

  6. 21

    OpenAI, valued at $500 billion, and Anthropic, at $183 billion, made up close to 10% of the combined value of the Crunchbase Unicorn Board at the end of 2025.

    Source: Crunchbase News, 2025 [1]

  7. 22

    Companies spent $37 billion on generative AI in 2025, 3.2 times the $11.5 billion of 2024, by Menlo Ventures' estimate.

    Source: Menlo Ventures, State of Generative AI in the Enterprise, 2025 [7]

  8. 23

    Anthropic held 40% of the enterprise market for large language model APIs in 2025, against 27% for OpenAI, Menlo Ventures estimates.

    Source: Menlo Ventures, State of Generative AI in the Enterprise, 2025 [7]

How many AI deals there are and how big they are

  1. 24

    The number of AI venture deals in Q1 2026 was the lowest since 2018, 51% below the Q1 2022 peak, while the average deal size more than doubled to $24 million.

    Source: PitchBook, AI VC Trends, 2026 [3]

  2. 25

    Autonomous machine companies raised a record $29 billion across 118 deals in Q1 2026, led by Waymo's $16 billion Series D.

    Source: PitchBook, AI VC Trends, 2026 [3]

  3. 26

    Dealroom counts 801 AI unicorns, companies valued at $1 billion or more or that exited at that value.

    Source: Dealroom, 2026 [2]

Where AI startup funding goes

  1. 27

    Nearly 88% of AI startup funding in 2026 so far, $319 billion, went to US-headquartered companies.

    Source: Crunchbase News, 2026 [8]

  2. 28

    The US took 81% of global AI venture funding in 2025, €138.6 billion, against €10.3 billion for the 27 EU countries and €6.3 billion for China.

    Source: Dealroom, 2026 [9]

  3. 29

    Startups applying AI in other industries took 17% of all EU venture funding in 2025, up from 4% in 2015.

    Source: Dealroom, 2026 [9]

  4. 30

    US private AI investment was $109.1 billion in 2024, nearly 12 times China's $9.3 billion and 24 times the UK's $4.5 billion.

    Source: Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2025, 2025 [6]

  5. 31

    Chinese government guidance funds put an estimated $184 billion into AI firms between 2000 and 2023, money that private-investment totals leave out.

    Source: Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2026, 2026 [5]

What research finds about AI startups and investors

  1. 32

    AI firms make up 21% of the companies that Chinese government venture funds invest in and 23% of the money they invest.

    Source: NBER Working Paper (Beraja, Peng, Yang and Yuchtman), 2024 [10]

  2. 33

    Among Chinese private venture funds, AI firms make up 20% of investees and 21% of the money invested, almost the same as for government funds.

    Source: NBER Working Paper (Beraja, Peng, Yang and Yuchtman), 2024 [10]

  3. 34

    About 20.3% of Chinese government venture funds' investments in AI firms are direct; the rest go through other funds.

    Source: NBER Working Paper (Beraja, Peng, Yang and Yuchtman), 2024 [10]

  4. 35

    A Harvard bachelor's thesis found that, in a matched sample of 7,918 US early-stage startups founded from 2010 to 2022, those classified as AI raised 33% to 42% more venture capital than comparable non-AI startups.

    Source: Harvard University, bachelor's thesis, 2026 [11]

  5. 36

    In the US Census Bureau's 2018 survey of 850,000 firms, fewer than 6% used any AI technology; weighted by employment, just over 18% did.

    Source: Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 2024 [12]

  6. 37

    2.9% of US startups that used AI in 2018 were funded by venture capital, against 0.9% of all startups.

    Source: Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 2024 [12]

  7. 38

    31.5% of the owners of AI-using US startups held an advanced degree, against 22.4% of all startup owners.

    Source: Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 2024 [12]

  8. 39

    46.5% of AI-using US startups started with more than $25,000 in capital, against 41.4% of all startups.

    Source: Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 2024 [12]

  9. 40

    5.93% of venture deals in biopharmaceutical startups from 2010 to 2024 (1,679 deals) went to companies with AI as a business focus.

    Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2026 [13]

  10. 41

    Drug discovery was the most common focus of AI biopharma deals, 38.06% of them, with a median deal of $9 million.

    Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2026 [13]

  11. 42

    Nearly 60% of US AI biopharma venture deals in 2024 went to companies in California and Massachusetts.

    Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2026 [13]

  12. 43

    77.42% of AI biopharma venture deals in 2024 were early-stage, against 68.21% of non-AI biopharma deals.

    Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2026 [13]

Frequently asked questions

How much funding did AI startups raise in 2025?

Counts differ by data provider: Crunchbase had $202.3 billion by mid-December, Dealroom $215.9 billion and PitchBook $254.4 billion. Crunchbase puts AI at close to 50% of all global venture funding in 2025, up from 34% in 2024.

How much have AI startups raised in 2026?

PitchBook counts $255.5 billion in Q1 2026 alone, more than its full-year 2025 total. Dealroom counts $399.0 billion in the first half and projects $797.9 billion for the year.

What share of startups are AI companies?

In the FundingWatcher startup file, 43.8% of startups whose latest round is dated 2026 are AI companies, against 15.4% for 2021. Among funded startups founded in 2025 the share is 57.7%.

Do AI startups raise bigger rounds?

Yes. The median 2026 seed round was $3.2 million for AI startups and $2.0 million for others, and the median Series A $20.0 million against $14.0 million. A Harvard bachelor's thesis on 7,918 matched US startups found AI startups raised 33% to 42% more venture capital.

Which country gets the most AI startup funding?

The US. Crunchbase counts nearly 88% of 2026 AI startup funding going to US companies, and Dealroom put the US at 81% of global AI venture funding in 2025. 54.4% of the AI startups in the FundingWatcher file with a 2025 or 2026 round are US-based.

How much do investors put into generative AI?

Stanford's AI Index counted $33.9 billion of private generative AI investment in 2024, and more than 200% growth in 2025. Foundation model companies raised $80 billion in 2025, 40% of AI funding, per Crunchbase.

Sources

  1. [1]Crunchbase News. “AI funding trends in charts, end of 2025”. 2025.↑1 ↑2 ↑18 ↑21
  2. [2]Dealroom. “AI startups guide”. 2026.↑3 ↑6 ↑26
  3. [3]PitchBook, AI VC Trends. 2026.↑4 ↑20 ↑24 ↑25
  4. [4]Crunchbase News. “Record-breaking AI funding in Q1 2026”. 2026.↑5 ↑19
  5. [5]Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2026. 2026.↑7 ↑8 ↑17 ↑31
  6. [6]Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2025. 2025.↑9 ↑16 ↑30
  7. [7]Menlo Ventures, State of Generative AI in the Enterprise. 2025.↑22 ↑23
  8. [8]Crunchbase News. “US AI startup funding boom”. 2026.↑27
  9. [9]Dealroom. “Startups driving Europe's AI transformation”. 2026.↑28 ↑29
  10. [10]NBER Working Paper (Beraja, Peng, Yang and Yuchtman). 2024.↑32 ↑33 ↑34
  11. [11]Harvard University, bachelor's thesis. 2026.↑35
  12. [12]Journal of Economics & Management Strategy. 2024.↑36 ↑37 ↑38 ↑39
  13. [13]Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2026.↑40 ↑41 ↑42 ↑43

Method

We searched Google for ai startup funding statistics, ai funding statistics and ai startup statistics and read the pages that ranked, then searched OpenAlex, NBER and journal sites for papers on AI companies and venture capital. Each number was traced to the organisation or paper that produced it and checked against that source on September 24, 2026. Crunchbase, PitchBook, Dealroom and Stanford's AI Index define an AI company differently, so their 2025 totals range from $202.3 billion to $254.4 billion. Menlo Ventures, the source of the enterprise spending figures, is an investor in Anthropic. The biopharma numbers come from one journal study of AI drug and biotech startups and do not cover AI startups in general. FundingWatcher numbers come from our startup file as of September 15, 2026: 165,218 startups whose latest round is pre-seed, seed, angel or a Series A to J. A startup counts as AI when artificial-intelligence is among its category groups; 30,648 startups with no category are left out of the shares. The file keeps only each startup's most recent round, so a company that raised again later drops out of its earlier year. Numbers already on our Y Combinator and startup funding pages are not repeated here.

FundingWatcher numbers new on this page:

  • 43.8% of the startups whose latest funding round is dated 2026 are AI companies, up from 15.4% of those whose latest round was in 2021. Share of startups carrying the artificial-intelligence category group, by the year of their most recent round. Startups with no category recorded are left out of both counts. The share was 15.1% to 15.4% every year from 2019 to 2022, then 22.1% in 2023, 30.8% in 2024 and 37.9% in 2025.
  • 57.7% of funded startups founded in 2025 are AI companies, against 19.2% of those founded in 2021. Share carrying the artificial-intelligence category group, by founding year. The 2023 cohort is 42.3% and the 2024 cohort 49.6%.
  • The median 2026 seed round was $3.2 million for AI startups and $2.0 million for other startups. Median disclosed amount of each startup's most recent round where that round is a seed round dated 2026. Startups with no category are left out.
  • The median 2026 Series A was $20.0 million for AI startups and $14.0 million for other startups. Median disclosed amount of each startup's most recent round where that round is a Series A dated 2026.
  • 54.4% of the AI startups whose latest round is dated 2025 or 2026 are based in the US; 6.5% are in China and 5.7% in the UK. Country of each AI-tagged startup whose most recent round falls in the window. Startups with no country stay in the denominator.
  • 154 of the 510 unicorns in the FundingWatcher startup file (30.2%) are AI companies. Unicorn flag from the source data; AI = the artificial-intelligence category group.

All 43 statistics as a CSV: ai-startup-funding-statistics.csv.

Cite this page

FundingWatcher, “AI Startup Funding 2026 Statistics (Updated September)”, updated September 2026, https://fundingwatcher.com/research/ai-startup-funding-statistics/

To cite one number, link its anchor: each statistic has one, for example https://fundingwatcher.com/research/ai-startup-funding-statistics/#stat-1.

Adrian Brandt
About the author

Adrian Brandt, SEO Consultant. SEO Consultant based in Rotterdam, working on B2B marketing for the past 4 years.

FundingWatcher is a research publication of Haus Research, an independent research firm, covering startup funding rounds and the investors behind them.

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