AI startups pull in $185B across 6,800 rounds, making up a third of all deals

A new tally of global startup activity shows just how dominant AI has become in venture funding over the past year. From November 2025 through October 2026, AI‑focused startups closed 6,818 funding rounds with disclosed capital of $185.5 billion. That represents 34.9% of all startup deals during the period, meaning roughly one in three financings now goes to an AI company. The money is flowing into a wide mix of segments: generative AI that creates text and images, workflow automation tools for enterprises, and sector‑specific software that brings AI into healthcare, manufacturing and finance. Yet the report notes that a relatively small number of mega‑rounds are responsible for a large share of the total dollars, deepening the split between a handful of would‑be AI unicorns and the rest of the market. Even as higher interest rates and macro uncertainty weigh on other sectors, investors appear willing to keep backing AI as a strategic bet. That imbalance is fueling complaints from non‑AI founders, who say capital is increasingly "AI‑only" and harder to access for more traditional tech ideas.