Global venture capital investment soared to $97 billion in the third quarter of 2025, marking a significant 38% increase compared to the same period last year, as reported by Crunchbase Inc. This latest figure surpasses the $92 billion raised in the preceding quarter, marking the fourth consecutive period where funding levels topped $90 billion—a first since 2022.
The remarkable growth can be primarily attributed to advancements in artificial intelligence, with several companies in the sector securing substantial investments. Leading the pack, Anthropic PBC garnered a staggering $13 billion, followed by xAI Inc. with $5.3 billion and Mistral AI Inc. bringing in $2 billion. Other companies like Princeton Digital Group Inc., Nscale Inc., and Databricks Inc. also landed significant deals, underlining the robust investor interest in AI technologies and infrastructure.
Crunchbase’s data highlights an increasingly concentrated funding landscape, revealing that approximately one-third of global venture investments—between 30% and 33%—were allocated to rounds exceeding $500 million. Notably, just 18 companies accounted for a third of all capital raised in the quarter.
AI dominated the funding scene, attracting $45 billion or 46% of the total venture capital, with Anthropic alone capturing nearly 29% of this global investment. Following AI, the hardware sector received the second largest share, totaling $16.3 billion, fueled by funding in robotics, semiconductors, and quantum computing. Healthcare and biotech secured $15.9 billion, while financial services brought in $12 billion.
Additionally, venture-backed initial public offerings (IPOs) experienced growth for the second consecutive quarter, led by companies like Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. and Figma Inc. Sixteen firms went public, each with valuations exceeding $1 billion, totalling over $90 billion at offering prices.
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity also remained robust, amounting to $28 billion, despite a decline from $51.7 billion in the previous quarter. Noteworthy acquisitions included OpenAI’s purchase of Statsig Inc. and Workday Inc.’s acquisition of Sana Labs AB, evidencing a dynamic and competitive venture capital environment.
