Largest Recent Seed Rounds Focus on AI Companies
In the past six months, a majority of the top seed funding recipients have been companies operating at the intersection of AI and the physical world, with at least 12 globally raising $100 million or more in seed rounds, according to Crunchbase News. This activity highlights a shift in investor focus toward ambitious AI startups, as illustrated by data from Crunchbase that lists the largest seed rounds during this period.
Physical AI as a Dominant Theme
A majority of these top seed funding recipients involve AI applied to the physical world. For instance, Paris-based Advanced Machine Intelligence raised $1.03 billion in a March seed round to develop AI models that learn from real-world sensor data. San Francisco’s Unconventional AI secured a $475 million seed round in December for creating energy-efficient silicon circuits mimicking biological neurons. Additionally, Periodic Labs, also in San Francisco, raised $300 million six months ago to apply AI to science, including automating materials design for semiconductor manufacturing and power grid engineering. China-based startups like Lingchu Intelligence, which develops AI platforms for robotic device simulation, and Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, focused on AI robotic technology, have also landed large seed rounds.
AI Startups Addressing Human Elements
Some AI startups are directing funds toward human-centric applications. Merge Labs, co-founded by Sam Altman and based in San Francisco, raised $252 million in an OpenAI-led financing earlier this year for advancements in brain-computer interfaces. Humans&, a Silicon Valley company, raised $480 million in January to build foundational models centered on people and their relationships. These examples show AI companies pursuing both physical and interpersonal applications, as detailed in the Crunchbase data.
Evolving Trends in Seed Funding
The recent jumbo seed rounds reflect broader changes in early-stage investing, with a general trend of fewer deals and larger average seed round sizes. Larger seed rounds of $10 million and above have increased from 2% of deals in 2018 to 9% currently, while seed rounds over $100 million have become more common, with 27 such deals announced globally since the beginning of 2025. This shift demonstrates how capital allocation at the earliest stages is evolving, according to Crunchbase News, potentially allowing startups more resources for ambitious projects.
