AI NewsGo-to-marketReported
70 percent of 100 million dollar Series A rounds went to AI
Crunchbase News reports that 114 Series A rounds of $100 million or more have closed in 2026 through late September. More than 70 percent went to AI companies.
Image: Crunchbase News
Why it mattersA non-AI startup now raises Series A against a bar set by AI deals. A seed-stage founder would see fewer rounds happen, with higher revenue needed to close one.
Crunchbase News reports that AI is now where almost all the biggest Series A money is going. Through late September 2026, 114 Series A rounds of $100 million or more have closed around the world. More than 70 percent of them went to AI companies. The piece was published on 29 October by Chris Metinko.
The report draws on Crunchbase data and names two sources. Marc Schröder is the co-founder and managing partner of MGV. Andy McLoughlin is at Uncork Capital. Both talk about what the pattern means for a founder trying to raise a normal Series A today.
The numbers Crunchbase reports
Series A deal count fell year on year. Crunchbase News says 272 Series A rounds closed in the third quarter of 2026. That is 28 percent fewer than the 377 rounds in the third quarter of 2025.
Seed deal count fell too. Crunchbase News says 984 seed rounds closed in Q3 2026. The year-earlier total was 1,059. The median US seed round is about $3 million, which is three times the 2018 median of about $1 million.
Fewer seed companies now reach Series A. The report tracks US companies that raised a $1 million or larger seed round. Of the 2023 class, 24 percent moved past seed. Of the 2024 class, the figure is 16 percent.
What the two investors said
Andy McLoughlin of Uncork Capital told Crunchbase News that the bar at Series A has moved. He said Series A investors now expect $2 million to $3 million in ARR, and sometimes $4 million. He said the time from seed to Series A has stretched past two years. ARR is annual recurring revenue, the yearly value of a subscription book.
Marc Schröder of MGV talked about the Series A market splitting into two tiers. Big AI rounds now run into the hundreds of millions. Normal Series A rounds stay in the tens of millions. The normal tier is where most non-AI founders raise. The report does not give a count for the normal tier.
What a founder reading this should know
Two numbers from the piece do most of the work. 70 percent of jumbo Series A money is going to AI. Only 16 to 24 percent of seed companies get to the next round. A non-AI founder is raising against a tighter market. The revenue bar is a few million dollars a year. The clock from seed cheque to Series A has stretched past two years.
Source
This item was written by an AI system from the linked source. Reveneau is responsible for what it publishes.
Get AI News in your inbox
New developer tools, model and agent releases, and how teams are actually using them to release software. Short, and only when there is something worth reading.
