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AI Startups Dominate Largest Seed Rounds, Reshaping Early-Stage Funding

Crunchbase News •
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The seed funding landscape is undergoing a seismic shift as AI companies dominate the largest recent rounds. Crunchbase data reveals at least 12 startups secured seed deals of $100 million or more in the past six months, far exceeding traditional patterns. Advanced Machine Intelligence led this trend with a $1.03 billion Paris-based round, developing AI models for real-world sensor predictions. This surge reflects investors' pivot toward ambitious AI ventures with minimal operating history, prioritizing transformative potential over immediate revenue. Physical AI emerges as a key theme, with companies like San Francisco's Unconventional AI ($475M) and Periodic Labs ($300M) applying AI to energy-efficient circuits and materials design.

China's Lingchu Intelligence and Humanoid Robot Innovation Center also secured major rounds, signaling global demand. The trend extends beyond hardware, with Merge Labs ($252M) applying AI to brain-computer interfaces and Humans& ($480M) focusing on human-centric foundational models. This funding evolution—fewer deals but larger sizes—demonstrates investors' confidence in AI's disruptive potential at the earliest stages.