## AI Investment Boom: US Startups Attract Billions in First Half of 2025
The artificial intelligence sector continues to be a magnet for investment, with U.S.-based AI startups securing substantial funding rounds in the first half of 2025. Building on the momentum of a record-breaking 2024, which saw 49 startups raise $100 million or more, 2025 is shaping up to be another landmark year. Multiple billion-dollar rounds have already closed, and the total number of AI megarounds in the U.S. during Q1 2025 surpassed that of Q1 2024, signaling sustained investor confidence.
Here’s a breakdown of the U.S. AI companies that have raised $100 million or more so far in 2025, categorized by month:
**April**
* **SandboxAQ:** This AI model company closed a $450 million Series E round on April 4, valuing it at $5.7 billion. Notable investors included Nvidia, Google, and Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates.
* **Runway:** Known for its AI models for media production, Runway secured a $308 million Series D round announced on April 3. The round, led by General Atlantic, valued the company at $3 billion, with participation from SoftBank, Nvidia, and Fidelity.
**March**
* **OpenAI:** Leading the pack by a significant margin, OpenAI raised a staggering $40 billion funding round on March 31, valuing the startup at $300 billion. SoftBank led the round, with contributions from Thrive Capital, Microsoft, and Coatue, among others.
* **Nexthop AI:** This AI infrastructure company announced a $110 million Series A round on March 25, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Kleiner Perkins, Battery Ventures, and Emergent Ventures also participated.
* **Insilico Medicine:** Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Insilico Medicine raised $110 million for its generative AI-powered drug discovery platform, announced on March 13. The Series E round, co-led by Value Partners and Pudong Chuangtou, valued the company at $1 billion.
* **Celestial AI:** Another AI infrastructure company, Celestial AI, closed a $250 million Series C round on March 11, valuing the company at $2.5 billion. Fidelity led the round, with participation from Tiger Global, BlackRock, and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
* **Lila Sciences:** Aiming to create a science superintelligence platform, Lila Sciences raised a substantial $200 million seed round led by Flagship Pioneering. Other investors included March Capital, General Catalyst, and ARK Venture Fund. The company is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
* **Reflection.Ai:** This Brooklyn-based startup, focused on building superintelligent autonomous systems, secured a $130 million Series A round. The round, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and CRV, valued the company at $580 million, impressive for a company only a year old.
* **Turing:** An AI coding startup that partners with LLM companies, Turing closed a $111 million Series E round on March 7, valuing it at $2.2 billion. Khazanah Nasional led the round, with participation from WestBridge Capital, Gaingels, and Sozo Ventures.
* **Shield AI:** This AI defense tech startup raised $240 million in a Series F round that closed on March 6. Co-led by L3Harris Technologies and Hanwha Aerospace, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz and the US Innovative Technology Fund, the round valued Shield AI at $5.3 billion.
* **Anthropic:** An AI research and large language model company, Anthropic, raised $3.5 billion in a Series E round announced on March 3. The round, led by Lightspeed with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Menlo Ventures, and General Catalyst, valued the startup at $61.5 billion.
**February**
* **Together AI:** Focused on open-source generative AI and AI model development infrastructure, Together AI raised a $305 million Series B round on February 20, valuing the company at $3.3 billion. Prosperity7 and General Catalyst co-led the round, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Nvidia, and Lux Capital.
* **Lambda:** This AI infrastructure company announced a $480 million Series D round on February 19, valuing the startup at nearly $2.5 billion. The round was co-led by SGW and Andra Capital, with participation from Nvidia, G Squared, and ARK Invest.
* **Abridge:** An AI platform that transcribes patient-clinician conversations, Abridge was valued at $2.75 billion in a Series D round announced on February 17. The $250 million round was co-led by IVP and Elad Gil, with participation from Lightspeed, Redpoint, and Spark Capital.
* **Eudia:** An AI legal tech company, Eudia, raised $105 million in a Series A round led by General Catalyst, closing on February 13. Floodgate, Defy Ventures, and Everywhere Ventures, along with numerous angel investors, also participated.
* **EnCharge AI:** Focused on AI hardware, EnCharge AI raised a $100 million Series B round, also closing on February 13. Tiger Global led the round, with participation from Scout Ventures, Samsung Ventures, and RTX Ventures. The Santa Clara-based company was founded in 2022.
* **Harvey:** Another AI legal tech company, Harvey, raised a $300 million Series D round announced on February 12, valuing the 3-year-old company at $3 billion. Sequoia led the round, with participation from OpenAI Startup Fund, Kleiner Perkins, and Elad Gil.
**January**
* **ElevenLabs:** This synthetic voice startup raised a $180 million Series C round announced on January 30, valuing the company at more than $3 billion. ICONIQ Growth and Andreessen Horowitz co-led the round, with participation from Sequoia, NEA, and Salesforce Ventures.
* **Hippocratic AI:** Developing large language models for the healthcare industry, Hippocratic AI announced a $141 million Series B round on January 9. This round, led by Kleiner Perkins with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Nvidia, and General Catalyst, valued the company at more than $1.6 billion.
The substantial influx of capital into these AI startups highlights the ongoing excitement and potential within the industry. From infrastructure and healthcare to media production and defense, AI is attracting significant investment across diverse applications, suggesting a bright future for innovation in the field.