AI startups claim 41% of $128B VC, OpenAI $110B round
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- AI startups accounted for 41% of the $128 billion in venture dollars raised by companies on Carta last year, a record‑high annual share.
- 10% of startups captured half of that funding, highlighting extreme concentration.
- xAI raised a $20 billion Series E in January.
- OpenAI snagged a $110 billion round in February, one of the largest private rounds ever, moving it toward a $1 trillion valuation.
- Anthropic raised a $30 billion Series G last month at a $380 billion valuation.
- The AI firms together accounted for a heavy chunk of the $189 billion in global venture capital raised last month and have hinted at IPOs later this year.
- Peter Walker noted that while rounds are harder to close, the capital per round has risen, and AI startups raise bigger rounds because running AI models is costly.
Why it matters: Investors who back the AI giants reap outsized stakes, while the broader startup ecosystem sees fewer deals and thinner funding, reinforcing a K‑shaped venture landscape that privileges high‑cost AI model operators and leaves most other founders scrambling for scarce capital.
