Since the launch of ChatGPT over two years ago, the AI space has experienced major breakthroughs and investment. This year marks a pivotal year for startups reshaping industries from healthcare to space technology. As AI continues to reshape how businesses operate and societies function, investors are seizing opportunities to back promising startup companies driving this technological revolution.
In this piece, we highlight 25 top AI startup companies to invest in, based on many factors, especially their funding. This curated guide offers insights for those looking to invest in the future of AI.
From OpenAI’s monumental $40 billion raise to niche players like Reflect Orbital’s $20 million Series A, these companies represent diverse applications, spanning analytics, drug discovery, logistics, and beyond, backed by leading venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Khosla Ventures. Explore their funding details, strategic visions, and market potential to identify the most promising opportunities in this dynamic landscape.”
Forget the buzzwords. This isn’t about hype. It’s about which AI companies are building real stuff with real money behind them. Some are household names already. Others, you probably haven’t heard of—yet. But they’re all making serious moves in AI, and the investors piling in aren’t doing it for fun.
We’ve sifted through the noise to focus on what actually matters: funding momentum, technical traction, and clear use cases that make sense. This isn’t a list for tech tourists—it’s for those paying attention. Before we jump in, here’s a quick look at the key factors to watch when evaluating which AI startups are worth investing in.
AI Startup Investing: What Actually Matters
Investing in AI isn’t about chasing hype. It’s about knowing what signals to pay attention to—and what to ignore. The space moves fast, but good fundamentals still matter. Here’s what to keep an eye on when deciding where to put your money.
1. Market Opportunity & Problem Solved
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Market Size: Is the company chasing a big market or a niche that’s growing fast? Startups like ClickHouse (analytics) and Persivia (healthcare) are tackling massive sectors hungry for smarter tools.
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Problem Clarity: Is the company solving something real? Vivodyne’s lab-grown tissue testing and Reflect Orbital’s solar-in-space angle aren’t just new—they’re useful.
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Industry Fit: AI doesn’t hit the same in every sector. Healthcare, logistics, cybersecurity—these are places where real gains can be made. Chainguard’s focus on secure open-source software is one good example.
2. Tech That Actually Works
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Proprietary Edge: Unique tech matters. Whether it’s Anthropic’s safer AI systems or SandboxAQ’s quantum-inspired models, owning your IP helps.
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Scalability: Can the product go wide? OpenAI’s general models and Runway’s media tools show how far things can stretch.
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Team Strength: Founders with deep engineering chops give you more confidence in execution. Cursor by Anysphere didn’t build itself.
3. Money In, Money Out
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Funding Stage: A $27M Seed round (Listen Labs) is a different animal than a $350M Series C (ClickHouse). Risk and upside both shift with stage.
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Investor Quality: Who’s backing them matters. If Sequoia, a16z, or Khosla are in, that says something.
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Burn Rate & Runway: Big raises like OpenAI’s $40B sound great—but only if there’s a plan behind it. Look at spend vs. growth.
4. Business Model & Revenue
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How They Make Money: Subscriptions (Statsig), enterprise deals (Persivia), usage-based pricing (Runway)—the model should be clear and working.
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Traction: ARR, logos, customer stories. Numbers talk. Cursor pulling $ 500 M+ ARR didn’t happen by accident.
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Competition: Is the startup breaking through, or just another player in a crowded space? Mercor has stiff rivals—its edge needs to be obvious.
5. Regulations & Red Flags
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Rules & Compliance: AI in health or security? You better believe regulations matter. Companies like Prepared and Vivodyne know this firsthand.
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Responsible Use: Especially in touchy areas like AI safety or emergency response, sloppy governance can kill a company’s future.
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Bias & Fairness: If the model is flawed, adoption tanks. That’s a risk in recruiting (Mercor) or diagnostics (Persivia), especially.
6. Founders & Team
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Backgrounds: Founders with relevant experience—or a track record—are a plus. Mercor’s teenage founders built a $2B company. That’s rare.
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Advisors & Partners: Strong connections can speed things up. ClickHouse is tight with Nebius; Runway is working with Nvidia.
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Talent Retention: Top AI talent doesn’t stick around without purpose or equity. Hex Technologies gets this right.
7. Timing & Macro Forces
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Trend Fit: Does the startup ride a real wave—generative AI, AI safety, or space tech? Apex Space and Reflect Orbital are well-timed bets.
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Economy Check: Even with shaky markets, OpenAI raised $40B. Appetite’s still there—but valuations are shifting.
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Market Readiness: Some tools hit fast (Field Materials with $360M in purchases). Others need patience (Reflect Orbital’s launch isn’t until 2026).
8. Exit Scenarios
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Acquisition Appeal: Could a bigger player swoop in? Runway could be a fit for Adobe. ClickHouse might draw interest from cloud providers.
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IPO Potential: Some late-stage companies—Chainguard ($3.5B valuation), SandboxAQ—are starting to look like IPO candidates.
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Comparable Exits: Recent activity (like Databricks) helps set expectations around timing and multiples.
What Investors Should Do Before Investing in AI Companies
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Dig Deep: Look under the hood. Tools like Crunchbase, PitchBook, or Tracxn help, but direct conversations with founders matter more.
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Spread the Risk: Mix early bets (like UNION) with later-stage firms (like Chainguard). Different timelines, different risks.
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Track Progress: Don’t just invest and walk away. Keep tabs on growth, ARR, and product milestones—just like Anysphere’s sharp climb.
With that, here are 25 AI companies worth betting on.
Top 25 AI Startup Companies to Invest In
AI 100: The most promising artificial intelligence startups of 2025 (Credit: CB Insights)
1. OpenAI
OpenAI, the leading artificial intelligence research organization behind ChatGPT, has raised $40 billion in a monumental funding round led by SoftBank. This investment will fuel OpenAI’s ambitious plans to push the boundaries of AI research, enhance its computational infrastructure, and deliver more powerful AI tools to its vast user base of over 500 million weekly users. With this funding, OpenAI aims to accelerate the development of next-generation AI systems and expand its global reach, particularly in data center projects like Stargate.
Funding Details:
- Startup: OpenAI
- Investors: SoftBank (lead), Microsoft, Coatue, Altimeter, Thrive, Magnetar Capital, Founders Fund, and others
- Amount Raised: $40 billion
- Total Raised: Not disclosed
- Funding Stage: Not specified
- Founded Date: December 2015
Anthropic, a pioneer in developing safe and scalable artificial intelligence, has secured $3.5 billion in a Series E funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. This substantial investment will enable Anthropic to further its mission of creating AI systems that are both powerful and aligned with human values. The funds will be used to advance research in AI safety, scale up computational resources, and expand Anthropic’s product offerings, including its Claude chatbot, which has gained significant traction in enterprise applications, with revenue reportedly reaching $3 billion annualized by May 2025.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Anthropic
- Investors: Lightspeed Venture Partners (lead), Bessemer Venture Partners, Cisco Investments, D1 Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research Company, General Catalyst, Jane Street, Menlo Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and others
- Amount Raised: $3.5 billion
- Total Raised: Not disclosed
- Funding Stage: Series E
- Founded Date: January 2021
3. SandboxAQ
SandboxAQ, a leader in enterprise quantitative AI, has raised $450 million in a Series E funding round, adding prominent investors such as Ray Dalio, Horizon Kinetics, BNP Paribas, Google, and NVIDIA. This funding will support SandboxAQ’s efforts to develop and deploy Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) that help enterprises solve complex scientific and quantitative challenges across various industries, including biopharma, materials science, cybersecurity, and financial services. Since spinning out from Alphabet in 2022, SandboxAQ has raised over $950 million, highlighting its strong growth trajectory.
Funding Details:
- Startup: SandboxAQ
- Investors: Ray Dalio, Horizon Kinetics, BNP Paribas, Google, NVIDIA, T. Rowe Price, Breyer Capital, and others
- Amount Raised: $450 million
- Total Raised: Over $950 million
- Funding Stage: Series E
- Founded Date: 2021
4. Runway
Runway, a startup at the forefront of generative AI for media production, has raised $308 million in a Series D funding round led by General Atlantic. This investment will bolster Runway’s research into AI models for video generation and editing, as well as expand its Runway Studios, a film and animation production arm that leverages AI to accelerate creative processes. With this funding, Runway aims to redefine the media landscape with AI-driven tools that enhance creativity and efficiency, bringing its total raised to $536.5 million since its founding in 2018.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Runway
- Investors: General Atlantic (lead), Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Nvidia, SoftBank, and others
- Amount Raised: $308 million
- Total Raised: $536.5 million
- Funding Stage: Series D
- Founded Date: April 2018
5. Anysphere
Anysphere, the developer of the AI-powered coding assistant Cursor, has raised $900 million in a funding round led by Thrive Capital. This investment values Anysphere at $9.9 billion and will be used to further develop its AI coding tools, which help engineers write and edit code more efficiently. Anysphere’s technology is designed to make coding faster and more accessible, catering to the growing demand for AI in software development, with a focus on integrating advanced AI capabilities into development environments.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Anysphere (Cursor)
- Investors: Thrive Capital (lead), Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, DST Global, and others
- Amount Raised: $900 million
- Total Raised: Over $1.073 billion
- Funding Stage: Series C
- Founded Date: 2012
6. Mercor
Mercor, an AI recruiting startup founded by three young entrepreneurs, has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Felicis. This funding will enable Mercor to expand its AI-driven recruiting platform, which uses advanced algorithms to match talent with companies more effectively. Mercor’s technology aims to streamline the hiring process and improve the quality of matches between candidates and employers, leveraging AI to analyze candidate profiles and predict job performance, with a total raised of $135 million since its founding in 2023.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Mercor
- Investors: Felicis (lead), Benchmark, General Catalyst, DST Global, Menlo Ventures, and others
- Amount Raised: $100 million
- Total Raised: $135 million
- Funding Stage: Series B
- Founded Date: February 2023
7. Hex
Hex Technologies, a provider of a unified, AI-powered workspace for data science and analytics, has secured $70 million in a Series C funding round. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, with participation from existing investors. This new capital will fuel Hex’s mission to make data science more accessible and collaborative, enabling teams to work together seamlessly on data-driven projects. The company, founded in 2019 and headquartered in San Francisco, CA, has raised a total of $171 million, with this round bringing its funding to a new level. The exact funding date in 2025 is not specified, but it aligns with the trend of significant investments in AI-driven analytics tools.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Hex Technologies
- Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital (lead investors), and existing backers
- Amount Raised: $70 million
- Total Raised: $171 million
- Funding Stage: Series C
- Founded Date: 2019
8. ClickHouse
ClickHouse, a leader in real-time analytics, data warehousing, observability, and AI/ML, has secured $350 million in a Series C funding round. The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from new investors BOND, IVP, Battery Ventures, and Bessemer Venture Partners, as well as existing investors including Index Ventures, Lightspeed, GIC, Benchmark, Coatue, FirstMark, and Nebius. This funding, announced on May 29, 2025, will be used to scale product development, support global expansion, and deepen partnerships with customers and technology providers building AI-native applications. ClickHouse, incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in San Francisco, CA, has raised over $650 million to date, reflecting its strong market traction in handling AI-driven analytical workloads.
Funding Details:
- Startup: ClickHouse
- Investors: Khosla Ventures (lead), BOND, IVP, Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Index Ventures, Lightspeed, GIC, Benchmark, Coatue, FirstMark, Nebius
- Amount Raised: $350 million
- Total Raised: Over $650 million
- Funding Stage: Series C
- Founded Date: 2015
9. Statsig
Statsig, a provider of a platform for data-driven product development, has secured $100 million in a Series C funding round. The round, announced on May 6, 2025, was led by ICONIQ Growth, with participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital and Madrona Venture Group. This funding will be used to expand the platform’s capabilities and grow the team, aiming to unify product development tools in the era of AI. Based in Bellevue, WA, Statsig has raised a total of $153 million, with this round valuing the company at $1.1 billion, highlighting its focus on A/B testing and feature management for product teams.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Statsig
- Investors: ICONIQ Growth (lead), Sequoia Capital, Madrona Venture Group
- Amount Raised: $100 million
- Total Raised: $153 million
- Funding Stage: Series C
- Founded Date: 2021
10. Vivodyne
Vivodyne, a company developing drug testing on lab-grown 3D human tissues, has secured $40 million in a Series A funding round. The round, announced around May 29, 2025, was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from new investors Lingotto Investment Management, Helena Capital, Fortius Ventures, and existing investors Kairos Ventures, CS Ventures, Bison Ventures, and MBX Capital. The funding will be used to scale Vivodyne’s robotics and AI approach and advance R&D efforts, aiming to improve preclinical drug testing accuracy. Based in San Francisco, CA, Vivodyne has raised a total of $78 million since its founding in 2021.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Vivodyne
- Investors: Khosla Ventures (lead), Lingotto Investment Management, Helena Capital, Fortius Ventures, Kairos Ventures, CS Ventures, Bison Ventures, MBX Capital
- Amount Raised: $40 million
- Total Raised: $78 million
- Funding Stage: Series A
- Founded Date: 2020
11. Listen Labs
Listen Labs, an AI-powered customer research startup, has raised $27 million through seed and Series A funding rounds, both led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from new investors Conviction and Pear. Announced in April 2025, the funding will be used to expand operations, reach more businesses, and further develop the platform’s capabilities. Founded in 2023 and based in San Francisco, CA, Listen Labs helps users create research questions, identify participants, and run audio and video interviews, using large language models to generate reports. This round marks its total funding at $27 million, reflecting its early-stage growth in the AI research space.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Listen Labs
- Investors: Sequoia Capital (lead for both rounds), Conviction, Pear
- Amount Raised: $27 million (combined seed and Series A)
- Total Raised: $27 million
- Funding Stage: Seed and Series A
- Founded Date: 2023
12. Stord
Stord, a provider of cloud-based end-to-end logistics and supply chain management solutions, has secured $200 million in a Series B funding round. The round, announced on April 9, 2025, was co-led by Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Valor Equity Partners, with participation from existing investors including Thrive Capital, Altimeter, Terrain, and Trust Ventures. The funding will be used to continue growth, build the first factory in Texas, and expand operations. Based in Atlanta, GA, Stord has raised a total of $268 million, with this round supporting its mission to unify logistics on a single platform.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Stord
- Investors: Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Valor Equity Partners (co-leads), Thrive Capital, Altimeter, Terrain, Trust Ventures, and others
- Amount Raised: $200 million
- Total Raised: $268 million
- Funding Stage: Series B
- Founded Date: 2015
13. Chainguard
Chainguard, a company providing secure open source software solutions, has secured $356 million in a Series D funding round. Announced on April 23, 2025, the round was co-led by Kleiner Perkins and IVP, with participation from new investors Salesforce Ventures and Datadog Ventures, as well as all existing investors including Sequoia Capital. The funding will be used to accelerate product innovation and company expansion, with Chainguard now valued at $3.5 billion. Based in Kirkland, WA, and founded in 2021, the company has raised a total of $612 million, focusing on software supply chain security.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Chainguard
- Investors: Kleiner Perkins, IVP (co-leads), Salesforce Ventures, Datadog Ventures, and all existing investors (including Sequoia Capital)
- Amount Raised: $356 million
- Total Raised: $612 million
- Funding Stage: Series D
- Founded Date: 2015
14. Apex Space
Apex Space, a manufacturer of standardized satellite buses, has secured $200 million in a Series C funding round. Announced on April 28, 2025, the round was led by Point72 Ventures and co-led by 8VC, with participation from existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz, and new investors Washington Harbour Partners and StepStone Group. The funding will be used to scale production and meet the growing demand for Apex’s configurable satellite bus platforms. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Apex has raised a total of $318 million, aiming to accelerate access to space for commercial and government missions.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Apex Space
- Investors: Point72 Ventures (lead), 8VC (co-lead), Andreessen Horowitz, Washington Harbour Partners, StepStone Group, and others
- Amount Raised: $200 million
- Total Raised: $318 million
- Funding Stage: Series C
- Founded Date: 2022
15. Reflect Orbital
Reflect Orbital, a spacetech startup developing a constellation of satellites to reflect sunlight down to Earth, has secured $20 million in a Series A funding round. Announced on May 14, 2025, the round was led by Lux Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital and Starship Ventures. The funding will be used to support team growth, scale operations, and prepare for the first space missions, with the first satellite set to launch as early as Spring 2026. Based in Hawthorne, CA, Reflect Orbital has raised a total of $26.5 million, focusing on innovative energy applications.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Reflect Orbital
- Investors: Lux Capital (lead), Sequoia Capital, Starship Ventures
- Amount Raised: $20 million
- Total Raised: $26.5 million
- Funding Stage: Series A
- Founded Date: 2021
16. Base Power
Base Power, an energy company providing residential backup battery systems and electricity plans, has secured $200 million in a Series B funding round. Announced on April 9, 2025, the round was co-led by Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Valor Equity Partners, with participation from existing investors including Thrive Capital, Altimeter, Terrain, and Trust Ventures. The funding will be used to continue growth, build the first factory in Texas, and expand operations. Based in Austin, TX, and founded in 2023, Base Power has raised a total of $268 million, aiming to build a grid for the future.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Base Power
- Investors: Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Valor Equity Partners (co-leads), Thrive Capital, Altimeter, Terrain, Trust Ventures, and others
- Amount Raised: $200 million
- Total Raised: $268 million
- Funding Stage: Series B
- Founded Date: 2023
17. Sprinter Health
Sprinter Health, a mobile healthcare provider that combines technology with a medical practice to deliver personalized care to patients’ homes, has secured $55 million in a Series B funding round. Announced on May 15, 2025, the round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Regents of the University of California, Google Ventures, and Accel. The funding will be used to expand operations and development efforts, allowing Sprinter Health to reach more patients and improve access to preventive care. Based in Menlo Park, CA, the total raised is not specified in the sources, but the company has shown significant growth, expanding from five states in 2023 to 18 today.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Sprinter Health
- Investors: General Catalyst (lead), Andreessen Horowitz, Regents of the University of California, Google Ventures, Accel
- Amount Raised: $55 million
- Total Raised: Not specified
- Funding Stage: Series B
- Founded Date: 2021
18. Prepared
Prepared, a provider of an assistive AI platform for emergency response, has secured $80 million in a Series C funding round. Announced on June 2, 2025, the round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, and Radical Ventures. The funding will be used to expand operations and development efforts, allowing Prepared to further modernize 911 emergency response systems with AI technology. Based in NYC and founded in 2019, the total raised is not specified, but previous rounds include a $27 million Series B in 2024, suggesting significant growth in the emergency communications sector.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Prepared
- Investors: General Catalyst (lead), Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, Radical Ventures
- Amount Raised: $80 million
- Total Raised: Not specified
- Funding Stage: Series C
- Founded Date: 2019
19. UNION
UNION, a startup developing an AI-powered platform, has secured $50 million in a Seed funding round. Announced in May 2025, the funding will be used to build and scale the platform’s capabilities. Specific details on investors are not available from the sources, but this round marks UNION’s total funding at $50 million, reflecting its early-stage focus on AI innovation. The exact location and founding date are not specified, but it aligns with the trend of seed-stage AI startups attracting significant capital.
Funding Details:
- Startup: UNION
- Investors: Not specified
- Amount Raised: $50 million
- Total Raised: $50 million
- Funding Stage: Seed
- Founded Date: May 2022
20. Persivia
Persivia, a leader in AI-driven digital health solutions, has secured $107 million in a recapitalization with Aldrich Capital Partners. Announced on April 29, 2025, the funding will be used to accelerate expansion plans, grow the sales force, and roll out new AI-powered solutions aimed at driving operational efficiency and patient management for healthcare organizations. Based in Marlborough, MA, the total raised is not specified, but this recapitalization supports Persivia’s mission to transform care delivery with AI, with a focus on value-based care and population health management.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Persivia
- Investors: Aldrich Capital Partners
- Amount Raised: $107 million
- Total Raised: Not specified
- Funding Stage: Recapitalization
- Founded Date: 2015
21. Field Materials
Field Materials, a construction tech startup, has raised $10.5 million in a Series A funding round. Announced in May 2025, the company uses AI and document digitization to automate the procurement of construction materials, reducing manual data entry and improving efficiency. Specific investors are not detailed in the sources, but the round brings Field Materials’ total funding to nearly $19 million. Founded in 2022 and based in Charlotte, NC, this funding supports its rapid growth, processing over $360 million in material purchases annually across 27 US states.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Field Materials
- Investors: Not specified
- Amount Raised: $10.5 million
- Total Raised: Nearly $19 million
- Founded Stage: Series A
- Funding Date: May 2022
22. Lambda
Lambda, a provider of cloud infrastructure and services for AI development, has secured a $480 million Series D funding round. This investment will fuel the expansion of Lambda’s cloud platform, enhancing both infrastructure and software to enable AI developers to train, fine-tune, and deploy models more efficiently. With this round, Lambda aims to put AI in the hands of more developers and accelerate the adoption of AI technologies.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Lambda
- Investors: Andra Capital and SGW (co-leads), Nvidia, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, G Squared, In-Q-Tel (IQT), KHK & Partners, Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, Wiwynn, 1517, Crescent Cove, USIT, and others
- Amount Raised: $480 million
- Total Raised: $863 million
- Funding Stage: Series D
- Founded Date: 2012
23. Together AI
Together AI, a leading AI Acceleration Cloud provider, has announced a $305 million Series B funding round. This investment will accelerate Together AI’s mission to be the preferred cloud for building modern AI applications with open-source models and for training custom models with large-scale deployments of NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs. The funding underscores the growing demand for AI infrastructure and tools that empower developers and enterprises to leverage AI effectively.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Together AI
- Investors: General Catalyst (lead), Prosperity7 (co-lead), Salesforce Ventures, NVIDIA, Coatue, Kleiner Perkins, March Capital, Emergence Capital, Lux Capital, SE Ventures, Greycroft, Definition, Cadenza Ventures, Long Journey Ventures, Brave Capital, Scott Banister, John Chambers, and others
- Amount Raised: $305 million
- Total Raised: $534 million
- Funding Stage: Series B
- Founded Date: 2022
24. Harvey
Harvey, a legal AI startup, has raised $300 million in a Series D funding round. This investment will support Harvey’s growth and development of AI tools designed to assist lawyers and legal professionals in their work. With a focus on enhancing legal research, document review, and other legal tasks, Harvey aims to transform the legal industry with its AI-powered solutions.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Harvey
- Investors: Sequoia Capital (lead), Coatue, Kleiner Perkins, OpenAI Startup Fund, GV, Conviction, Elad Gil, REV, and others
- Amount Raised: $300 million
- Total Raised: $480 million (approximate)
- Funding Stage: Series D
- Founded Date: 2022
25. Celestial AI
Celestial AI, a developer of optical interconnect technology for AI computing, has closed a $250 million Series C1 funding round. This investment will accelerate the commercialization of Celestial AI’s Photonic Fabric technology, which aims to unlock unprecedented AI performance and scalability by redefining optical interconnects for AI compute scaling.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Celestial AI
- Investors: Fidelity Management & Research Company (lead), BlackRock, Tiger Global Management, AMD Ventures, Koch Disruptive Technologies, Temasek, Xora Innovation, Porsche Automobil Holding SE, The Engine Ventures, and others
- Amount Raised: $250 million
- Total Raised: $515 million
- Founded Stage: Series C1
- Founded Date: 2020
Top 25 AI Startup Companies to Invest In, Ranked
| Startup | Investors (Lead and notable investors) | Amount Raised | Total Raised | Funding Stage | Founded Date |
| OpenAI | SoftBank (lead), Microsoft, Coatue, Altimeter, Thrive, Magnetar Capital, Founders Fund, and others | $40B | Not disclosed | Not specified | 2015 |
| Anthropic | Lightspeed Venture Partners (lead), Bessemer Venture Partners, Cisco Investments, D1 Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research Company, General Catalyst, Jane Street, Menlo Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and others | $3.5B | Not disclosed | Series E | 2021 |
| Anysphere (Cursor) | Thrive Capital (lead), Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, DST Global, and others | $900M | Over $1.073B | Series C | 2012 |
| Lambda | Andra Capital and SGW (co-leads), Nvidia, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, and others | $480M | $863M | Series D | 2012 |
| SandboxAQ | Ray Dalio, Horizon Kinetics, BNP Paribas, Google, NVIDIA, T. Rowe Price, Breyer Capital, and others | $450M | Over $950M | Series E | 2021 |
| Chainguard | Kleiner Perkins, IVP (co-leads), Salesforce Ventures, Datadog Ventures, all existing investors, including Sequoia Capital | $356M | $612M | Series D | 2015 |
| ClickHouse | Khosla Ventures (lead), BOND, IVP, Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Index Ventures, Lightspeed, GIC, Benchmark, Coatue, FirstMark, Nebius | $350M | Over $650M | Series C | 2015 |
| Runway | General Atlantic (lead), Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Nvidia, SoftBank, and others | $308M | $536.5M | Series D |
2018
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| Together AI | General Catalyst (lead), Prosperity7 (co-lead), Salesforce Ventures, NVIDIA, Coatue, Kleiner Perkins, and others | $305M | $534M | Series B | 2012 |
| Harvey | Sequoia Capital (lead), Coatue, Kleiner Perkins, OpenAI Startup Fund, GV, Conviction, Elad Gil, REV, and others | $300M | $480M (approximate) | Series D | 2022 |
| Celestial AI | Fidelity Management & Research Company (lead), BlackRock, Tiger Global Management, AMD Ventures, Koch Disruptive Technologies, and others | $250M | $515M | Series C1 | 2020 |
| Apex Space | Point72 Ventures (lead), 8VC (co-lead), Andreessen Horowitz, Washington Harbour Partners, StepStone Group, and others | $200M | $318M | Series C | 2022 |
| Base Power | In addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Valor Equity Partners (co-leads), Thrive Capital, Altimeter, Terrain, Trust Ventures, and others | $200M | $268M | Series B | 2023 |
| Stord | In addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Valor Equity Partners (co-leads), Thrive Capital, Altimeter, Terrain, Trust Ventures, and others | $200M | $268M | Series B | 2015 |
| Persivia | Aldrich Capital Partners | $107M | Not specified | Recapitalization | 2015 |
| Mercor | Felicis (lead), Benchmark, General Catalyst, DST Global, Menlo Ventures, and others | $100M | $135M | Series B | 2023 |
| Statsig | ICONIQ Growth (lead), Sequoia Capital, Madrona Venture Group | $100M | $153M | Series C | 2021 |
| Prepared | General Catalyst (lead), Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, Radical Ventures | $80M | Not specified | Series C | 2019 |
| Hex Technologies | Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital (leads), existing backers | $70M | $171M | Series C | 2019 |
| Sprinter Health | General Catalyst (lead), Andreessen Horowitz, Regents of the University of California, Google Ventures, Accel | $55M | Not specified | Series B | 2021 |
| UNION | Not specified | $50M | $50M | Seed | 2022 |
| Vivodyne | Khosla Ventures (lead), Lingotto Investment Management, Helena Capital, Fortius Ventures, Kairos Ventures, CS Ventures, Bison Ventures, MBX Capital | $40M | $78M | Series A | 2020 |
| Listen Labs | Sequoia Capital (lead for both rounds), Conviction, Pear | $27M | $27M | Seed and Series A | 2023 |
| Reflect Orbital | Lux Capital (lead), Sequoia Capital, Starship Ventures | $20M | $26.5M | Series A | 2021 |
| Field Materials | Not specified | $10.5M | Nearly $19M | Series A | 2022 |
Behind the List: How We Ranked the Top 25 AI Companies to Invest in
This list wasn’t built on hype. It’s based on hard funding data, compiled from verified sources, and reflects what investors are actually backing in 2025.
Why Funding Was the Anchor
We ranked these companies by total confirmed funding raised through June 10, 2025. While funding alone doesn’t guarantee success, it’s a clear indicator of investor conviction, growth potential, and execution capability. Big money usually follows big moves, and we tracked those moves closely.
How We Collected the Data
To keep things accurate, we cross-referenced multiple trusted sources:
- CB Insights AI 100: The most promising artificial intelligence startups of 2025
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Forbes’ AI 50 List for identifying standout startups
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TechCrunch coverage of 2025’s largest U.S. funding rounds ($ 100 M+)
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Crunchbase, Tracxn, and FinSMEs for deal-level funding and investor info
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Official press releases to confirm dates and round sizes
Only companies with closed and confirmed rounds in 2025 were included. Startups still in negotiation or with unclear totals (like Thinking Machine Labs) were excluded.
Where exact totals weren’t disclosed, we marked them as “Not Disclosed” to maintain transparency.
What the Funding Landscape Looks Like
Here’s a quick snapshot of what we found:
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OpenAI topped the list with a $40B raise in March, backed by SoftBank and Microsoft.
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Anthropic followed with $3.5B, continuing its push into AI safety.
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Anysphere, SandboxAQ, Runway, and Chainguard each pulled in hundreds of millions across everything from coding to media to cybersecurity.
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ClickHouse and Hex Technologies stood out in analytics and data science, while niche players like Vivodyne, Persivia, and Reflect Orbital caught attention in biotech and space.
Rounds ranged from $10M seed deals to multi-billion-dollar growth rounds, showing that investor appetite is strong across all stages.
Whether you’re an angel, a VC, or just watching the space, this list reflects where capital is flowing and which founders are turning vision into traction.
Conclusion
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