Today: AI venture capital - the trends, Defence & resilience unpacked with NATO Innovation Fund, 🔥 Dealroom Chrome Extension 🔥, and Serena Williams' unicorn herd.
Meanwhile we took a closer look at the global AI startup and venture capital landscape, and the layers, companies and geographies with an early material advantage. TL;DR: 🏒
💰 AI venture capital hit $110B in 2024, an all-time high
📈 Investment grew 62% year on year, while the rest of VC was down 12%
🇺🇸 US startups raised 74% of global AI VC last year
🧱 Foundational layer AI has been driving the growth of funding
European defence, security & resilience tech funding hit a record $5.2bn in 2024, growing 24% year on year, despite the broader VC taking a small dip. New report with NATO Innovation Fund (as covered by FT^) shows:
Pure defence tech funding hit $1.5bn (+41% growth)
The Defence, Security, and Resilience sector now represents 10% of total European VC investment and has grown 5x in the last 6 years
Broader $5.2bn includes adjacent sectors like quantum computing, robotics, and dual-use AI
Germany leads, with Munich emerging as a key hub ($1bn in funding)
Notable deal: Helsing's €450M raise led by General Catalyst
Not to bury the lede but: the long requested Dealroom Chrome extension is here (in beta) 🔥🔥🔥
It's a proper gamechanger for streamlining your workflow and sourcing directly in browser. From any website see the company's founding and funding info, their investors, growth and competitors in a quick snapshot pulled directly from Dealroom. Easily click through to their profile for deeper research.
Currently in beta, with more features coming soon, premium users can request access now. Get in touch 😎
