#mega-rounds

#mega-rounds

Nearly 20 U.S.-based AI startups have raised mega rounds of $100 million or more in 2026 - and it's been less than two months. If the first few weeks of 2026 are any indicator, the AI startup market is in for another year of monster funding rounds at eye-watering valuations. U.S. AI startups raised more than $76 billion through megarounds in 2025, per TechCrunch's count.

November 2025 demonstrated exceptional strength in US venture capital with $18.2B invested across 409 companies, showing a 49.2% increase from October 2025's $12.2B and a robust 56.9% year-over-year increase from November 2024's $11.6B. The month featured eight mega-rounds exceeding $500M, led by Anysphere's record-breaking $2.3B late-stage round for its AI coding assistant Cursor. Artificial Intelligence maintained its dominance with an estimated $11.8B across AI-related companies (65% of total funding).

Last year was monumental for the AI industry in the U.S. and beyond. There were 49 startups that raised funding rounds worth $100 million or more in 2024, per our count at TechCrunch; three companies raised more than one "mega-round," and seven companies raised rounds that were $1 billion in size or larger. How will 2025 compare? With only a few weeks left in the third quarter, it looks like 2024's momentum will continue this year. There have already been multiple billion-dollar rounds this year,