The year 2025 will be remembered in venture capital circles for the unprecedented flow of capital into artificial intelligence. A total of 15 companies secured funding rounds of $2 billion or more, collectively amassing over $100 billion from these financings alone. The vast majority of these deals were captured by generative AI companies, signaling a seismic shift in investor focus, led by giants like OpenAI.
The AI Funding Frenzy
Leading the charge was OpenAI, which secured a record-shattering $40 billion investment led by SoftBank in March, the largest single venture investment in history. The deal structure involves SoftBank building a syndicate for $10 billion of the total while funding the remaining $30 billion itself, partly through debt.
ther major players in the generative AI space also raised staggering amounts. Scale AI, a provider of training data for AI applications, raised $14.3 billion from Meta, while Anthropic completed two mega-rounds, including a $13 billion Series F in September and a $3.5 billion round in March. Elon Musk’s xAI also pulled in $5.3 billion in fresh equity over the summer.
Beyond Core AI Models
While foundational model builders attracted the lion’s share of capital, the investment wave extended across the AI ecosystem. Databricks, a data and AI platform, announced a Series L financing of over $4 billion, pushing its valuation to $134 billion. Defense tech was also a major beneficiary, with Anduril Industries raising a $2.5 billion Series G led by Founders Fund.
Newcomers made a significant impact as well. Project Prometheus, a startup applying AI to physical tasks and reportedly co-led by Jeff Bezos, launched with $6.2 billion. Thinking Machines Lab, founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, secured a $2 billion seed round, the largest of its kind in US history.
MENA’s Stake In The Global Tech Boom
The MENA region’s growing influence as a global capital allocator was prominently featured in the year’s largest deals. Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX made a significant move by investing $2 billion into the global cryptocurrency exchange Binance in March.
This investment places MGX alongside the world’s most influential VCs and corporate investors, highlighting the UAE’s strategic push to back high-growth technology companies on a global scale. As international tech giants seek substantial capital injections, sovereign investment vehicles from the Gulf are increasingly becoming crucial partners in shaping the future of technology.
About MGX
MGX is a technology-focused investment company based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Launched as a partnership between Mubadala and G42, MGX aims to accelerate the development and adoption of AI and advanced technologies through strategic global investments. The firm focuses on key areas including AI infrastructure, semiconductors, and core AI technologies and applications.
Source: Crunchbase News
