In 2024, the US AI startup's financing hit a record high and attracted 97 billion US dollars

The Zhitong Finance App learned that last year, venture capitalists' investment in American artificial intelligence startups soared, reaching a record total of 97 billion US dollars. Among them, Elon Musk's XAI, OpenAI, and Anthropic companies received huge investments of billions of dollars. According to the latest data released by PitchBook on Tuesday, the boom has caused artificial intelligence investment to continue to rise as a share of all startup investments, accounting for almost half of the total US$209 billion raised by US startups last year.

Although the total amount of financing for startups increased slightly this year, an increase of about one-third compared to 2023, there is a clear trend of differentiation within the venture capital industry. Specifically, large established companies and some of the biggest and hottest startups are finding it easier to raise capital.

However, at the same time, the venture capital firm itself raised only $76.1 billion for 508 funds, which is the lowest number of funds since 2014, and the lowest amount raised since 2019.

The high-profile initial public offering and startup takeover (exit) metrics also performed well this year, bringing in revenue of $149.2 billion, an increase of nearly $30 billion over 2023, roughly the same level as 2022.

However, compared to the boom in the US market, venture capital firms and startups outside the US have had a more difficult year. PitchBook's research found that European startup financing fell from US$66.7 billion in 2023 to US$61.6 billion in 2024. Similarly, the volume of transactions in Asia also slipped from US$101 billion in 2023 to US$75.9 billion.