AI startups secured approximately 62.7% of all U.S. venture capital funding in Q3 according to PitchBook data. Overall, more than $192 billion has flowed into AI startups through 2025, marking this the first year AI has captured the majority share of total VC investment worldwide.
The third quarter alone stood out for its mega funding activity, with Anthropic’s record $13 billion Series F and xAI’s multibillion-dollar capital raise. Investments have flowed not just into technology hubs like Silicon Valley but also emerging innovation centers worldwide.
Backed by renowned VC firms like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark, as well as tech giants including Google, Nvidia, Bill Gates’ investment arms, and Jeff Bezos’ Expeditions, this cohort represents the technical skill required to move AI from research to critical infrastructure in global markets.
1. Decart Raises $100M
Decart closed a $100 million Series B funding round in August 2025, achieving a valuation of $3.1 billion. The round included participation from key investors such as Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, Zeev Ventures, and new backer Aleph VC, bringing Decart’s total funding to $153 million to date. Founded in late 2023 by AI veterans Dr. Dean Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev, Decart is pioneering production-ready real-time AI video generation models, including its Mirage and Oasis frameworks.
These innovative models enable human-like, interactive visual experiences that target industries such as gaming, real estate, film, and education. Decart plans to use its funds to expand product development and build a billion-user consumer app that will transform how people visually interact with technology.
2. Rillet Raises $70 Million
Rillet secured $70 million in August 2025, led by Andreessen Horowitz and ICONIQ, with participation from Sequoia and Oak HC/FT. Founded in 2022 by Nicolas Kopp and Stelios Modes, Rillet disrupts traditional ERP systems by embedding AI agents directly into accounting workflows, automating tasks like reconciliation and board reporting.
Their AI-native general ledger empowers finance teams with automation, accuracy, and real-time insights. The funds will accelerate product innovation and broaden market adoption, helping mid-market companies streamline finance processes with intelligent automation.
3. Clay Raises $100 Million
Clay raised $100 million in August 2025, led by CapitalG(Alphabet’s growth fund), with existing backing from Sequoia and Meritech Capital. Valued at $3.1 billion, Clay helps automate sales and marketing workflows by analyzing sales tickets, CRM data, and video calls with AI, delivering actionable insights for sales teams.
Founded by Kareem Amin and Nicolae Rusan, notable customers include Google and Reddit. The funding will expand product innovation, adding features like “signals” to optimize prospect engagement and further AI-driven sales productivity.
4. FieldAI Raises $405 Million
FieldAI has raised $405 million across two rounds in August 2025. Backers include Bezos Expeditions, Gates Frontier, Nvidia NVentures, Intel Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Temasek. Valued at $2 billion, FieldAI develops foundation models enabling robots to operate without GPS or maps in complex environments.
Founded by Ali Agha, the new funds will help the company’s plans to scale commercial deployments across construction, urban delivery, energy, and security, focusing on risk-aware robotic autonomy that bridges physical and digital worlds
5. EliseAI Raises $250 Million
EliseAI raised $250 million in a Series E funding round in August 2025, led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Sapphire Ventures, and Navitas Capital. Headquartered in New York, EliseAI is transforming complex healthcare and housing systems through AI-driven automation.
Since raising $75 million in its Series D round last year, EliseAI has doubled its team to over 300 employees and has surpassed $100 million in ARR. Founded by Minna Song and Tony Stoyanov, the fresh capital will be used to accelerate product innovation, expand the workforce across engineering, experience, sales, and operations, and scale the company’s presence in key U.S. hubs including New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago.
6. Exa Raises $85 Million
Exa completed an $85 million Series B funding round in September 2025 led by Benchmark, with participation from Lightspeed, Nvidia, and Y Combinator. They provide ultra-low latency AI search infrastructure optimized for the needs of AI systems rather than traditional human-focused web search.
Founded in 2021 by Will Bryk, Jeff Wang, and Ben Willox, their platform supports AI research and enterprise applications with real-time search tailored to the needs of artificial intelligence. The new funds will enhance AI search capabilities and broaden adoption across industries.
7. Sierra Raises $350 Million
Sierra Technologies raised $350 million in September 2025 at a $10 billion valuation in a round led by Greenoaks Capital, building on previous investments by ICONIQ Capital and Thrive Capital. Founded by Salesforce board chair Bret Taylor and former Google executive Clay Bavor, Sierra delivers SDK tools enabling businesses to build autonomous AI agents.
These agents automate customer support and operational workflows. Sierra intends to use the funding to accelerate product scale and expand globally, enabling enterprises to embed AI-powered automation across their operations.
8. Cognition AI Raises $400 Million
Cognition AI raised roughly $400 million in a Series B round led by Founders Fund and 8VC. Valued at $10.2 billion, Cognition builds AI-driven software engineering tools like Devin, the “world’s first AI software engineer.”
Cognition’s ARR has more than doubled in Q3 reaching an estimated $100 million by mid-2025. Founded in November 2023 by Scott Wu, Walden Yan, and Steven Hao, the company plans to use its funding to accelerate product innovation, scale operations, and enhance its AI coding assistant technology
9. Motion Raises $60 Million
Motion, co-founded in 2019 by Harry Qi, Omid Rooholfada, and Ethan Yu, has raised a total of $75 million across Series B, C, and C2 rounds, reaching a $550 million valuation by mid-2025. The majority of this funding came from a $38 million Series C round, led by Scale Venture Partners, with existing investors such as SignalFire, HOF Capital, and 468 Capital doubling down alongside new investors including Valor Equity Partners, Fellows Fund, and unicorn founders.
The company’s B2B annual recurring revenue is growing 3x year-over-year, with 80% of ARR derived from SMBs and mid-market customers. The fresh capital will deepen the agentic suite’s capabilities and accelerate the expansion of AI-driven workflow automation that helps everyday businesses thrive in the AI era.
10. Distyl AI Raises $175 Million
Distyl AI, founded in 2022 by Arjun Prakash and Derek Ho, raised $175 million in a Series B round in September 2025. The funding was co-led by Khosla Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with strong participation from Coatue, Dell Technologies Capital, and DST Global.
Valued at $1.8 billion, Distyl specializes in conversational AI and natural language generation models that power customer service and enterprise communication tools. The investment will fuel R&D to enhance model sophistication and expand global shipments of AI-based communication solutions.
