Foundational AI Startup Funding in Q1 2026 Doubled ALL of 2025 — Capital Concentration Unprecedented

Crunchbase News·high signal

Crunchbase sector snapshot shows foundational AI startups raised more in Q1 2026 alone than in all of 2025 combined. The top four rounds (OpenAI $122B, Anthropic $30B, xAI $20B, Waymo $16B) totaled $188B — 65% of all global venture investment. U.S. companies captured 83% of global VC, up from 71% in Q1 2025. This concentration means non-AI SaaS is competing for 20% of a shrinking available pool.