AI Investment Trends 2025 Show Where the $3.3 Billion in Q2 Funding Is Flowing

For the seventh consecutive quarter, artificial intelligence dominated the Emerging Tech Indicator (ETI) rankings, once again claiming the top spot by both deal count and deal value. In Q2 2025, AI startups raised an impressive US$3.3 billion across 41 transactions, with another US$1.6 billion flowing into vertical-specific AI applications. The sustained momentum reinforces AI’s position as the single most powerful driver of global venture capital allocation today.

Core AI vs Application Layer

A closer look at AI investment trends 2025 reveals an important shift. While early-stage capital initially concentrated on core platforms and foundation models, activity is now spreading toward application-layer solutions. Startups embedding AI into existing workflows, whether healthcare, logistics, or finance, are attracting increasing investor attention. These application-first players may trail core labs in absolute funding, but they represent the largest area of ETI investing by deal count. This reflects the broader venture capital pivot toward practical, revenue-generating use cases.

Mega-Rounds AI Investment Trends 2025: Defining Q2

At the heart of Q2’s momentum was Safe Superintelligence, which secured a massive US$2 billion early-stage round at a sixfold valuation jump from its prior raise. Founded by former OpenAI talent, the company has yet to launch a product but has already cemented its place among the most highly valued AI startups globally.

Similarly, Thinking Machine Labs, which is also founded by ex-OpenAI researchers, closed its own US$2 billion seed round in July, though it falls outside Q2’s official data window. These two deals alone underscore the level of investor conviction in elite research teams building the next generation of foundation models, even in a crowded and competitive market.

Enablement and Access

Another theme shaping AI investment trends 2025 is the surge in enablement platforms. As enterprises begin operationalizing AI, tools that streamline model development, deployment, and evaluation are in high demand. LMArena’s US$100 million seed round, led by a16z, highlights this opportunity. By offering crowd-sourced model evaluations and plans for private testing in regulated industries, LMArena positions itself as a critical player in ensuring transparency and reliability across AI ecosystems.

Beyond AI: Robotics and Generative Media

AI may dominate headlines, but other ETI segments are making waves. Robotics foundation models (RFMs) have attracted US$2.2 billion in VC funding so far in 2025, with Skild AI’s US$500 million Series B leading the charge. Startups like Scout AI, Arondite, and PrismaX are pushing boundaries in defense, networking, and training infrastructure for robotics.

Meanwhile, generative video and image platforms continue to thrive despite competition from major model developers. MoonValley’s US$53 million raise and Krea’s US$47 million round show that specialized offerings tailored to professional artists and studios can carve out defensible niches.

AI Investment Trends 2025 Confirm This One Thing

The Q2 2025 ETI data confirms that AI is the anchor of global venture capital strategy. With core labs commanding billion-dollar rounds and application-layer startups scaling rapidly, AI investment trends 2025 point to a future where artificial intelligence is deeply embedded across industries. As robotics and generative media follow close behind, the broader ETI landscape is setting the stage for the next decade of transformative technology.