Other tech companies and investment firms are also focusing on AI. Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology Fund led a $175 million Series C for Celestial AI and a $320 million Series C for Lambda. Meanwhile, semiconductor startups, which are crucial for AI development, have raised nearly $700 million this year, significantly more than the $1.2 billion raised in the previous year. The AI trend has also reached the SPAC market, with AI startup Zapata AI going public through a merger with a blank-check firm.
Key takeaways:
- Microsoft has been heavily investing in AI, recently luring two co-founders of generative AI startup Inflection AI and most of its 70-person staff, and licensing its technology. It also invested in AI robotics startup Figure and Paris-based Mistral AI.
- Microsoft's venture arm M12 has also been active in AI investing, participating in rounds for SynthLabs, Guardrails AI, and Foundry.
- Other tech companies and investing firms are also focusing on AI, with Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology Fund leading a $175 million Series C for Celestial AI and a $320 million Series C for Lambda.
- Semiconductor startups, which are crucial for AI development, have raised nearly $700 million this year, significantly more than the $1.2 billion raised in the entire previous year.