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AI Startups Secure Record $171 Billion in February Venture Capital, Driven by Major Rounds for OpenAI, Anthropic, and Waymo

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AI Sector Continues Dominance in Venture Capital Market

A new Crunchbase report indicates that AI continues to be a dominant sector in the venture capital market.

Global venture capital inflow to startups reached a record $189 billion in February. Of this total, AI startups accounted for $171 billion, representing 90% of the capital raised during the month, according to the report.

February Surge Driven by Mega-Rounds

The February spending significantly exceeded January's global venture capital spend. This surge was primarily driven by substantial funding rounds secured by three prominent companies: OpenAI, Anthropic, and Waymo.

OpenAI secured an impressive $110 billion, marking one of the largest private funding rounds ever recorded and valuing the company at $730 billion.

Anthropic completed a significant $30 billion Series G round, achieving a $380 billion valuation.

Waymo successfully raised $16 billion, which values the company at $126 billion.

These three companies collectively contributed to 83% of the venture capital raised in February. Their substantial funding also represented one-third of the total $425 billion venture capital spend for the year 2025, as reported by Crunchbase.