For the reason that launch of OpenAI’s synthetic intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022, 100 startups have reached unicorn standing, reflecting the sector’s fast progress and heightened curiosity from the know-how and investor neighborhood.
A brand new report by enterprise analytics platform CB Insights seems to be at this panorama, analyzing these 100 billion-dollar corporations to grasp how the cohort stacks up, high exits, main buyers, and extra.
Based on the report, giant tech companies again a big share of the AI ecosystem. 36% of those 100 unicorns have acquired funding from corporations akin to Nvidia, Google, and Microsoft, with Nvidia main the group with stakes in 24 of the 100 ventures. This displays the agency’s technique of constructing an AI ecosystem via strategic investments.
Notable Nvidia-backed AI unicorns embody Skild AI, which develops a common AI mannequin for robotics, valued at US$4.5 billion; Imbue, which makes a speciality of AI brokers for reasoning and coding; and Ayar Labs, which builds optical I/O options to boost knowledge motion and compute effectivity for AI programs. Google follows Nvidia with investments in 15 AI unicorns, and Microsoft with seven.
High performing enterprise capital (VC) companies are additionally closely concerned, with Lightspeed main the class with investments in 17 AI unicorns, adopted by Andreessen Horowitz, and Sequoia.
AI exits
To date, this panorama has witnessed three exits. These transactions all occurred over the previous 12 months or so:
BioCatch, a digital fraud detection and monetary crime prevention startup, was acquired in September 2024 by Permira, a world non-public fairness agency;
CoreWeave, an AI infrastructure firm, went public on Nasdaq in March 2025, elevating US$1.5 billion within the largest US tech preliminary public providing (IPO) since UiPath’s debut in 2021; and
Windsurf, an AI coding firm, was acquired by Cognition in July 2025. Cognition is finest recognized for its AI coding agent named Devin, which is designed to assist engineers construct software program quicker.
Based on CB Insights, Beamery and Huma are subsequent in line to exit and are the 2 AI unicorns almost definitely to be acquired within the close to future.
Beamery is a UK-based human useful resource administration software program firm, which integrates expertise and activity intelligence to real-time workforce knowledge. Its agentic expertise advisor allows companies to rent, redeploy, and reskill expertise.
Beamery reached unicorn standing in December 2022 following a US$50 million Collection D. It lately launched its Workforce Intelligence Suite, that includes Job Intelligence to interrupt roles into duties for AI automation, and launched Ray, an embedded AI advisor serving to enterprise leaders make expertise selections throughout the platform.
Beamery has secured partnerships with distinguished names like LinkedIn Recruiter and Workday Expertise. The startup has additionally seen its income surge from US$4.6 million in fiscal 2020 to US$112.8 million in fiscal 2024, marking a 2,352% enhance.
Huma, based mostly in London as effectively, develops AI-powered digital well being platforms for distant affected person monitoring and decentralized medical trials. These platforms are presently utilized by greater than 3,000 hospitals and clinics, with over 35 million screened customers and 4 million registered customers in healthcare.
Huma, which reached unicorn standing in July 2024 following a US$80 million Collection D, has inked partnerships with the likes of AstraZeneca, Google Cloud, and Bayer, reflecting trade traction.
Robotics positive factors momentum
One pattern highlighted within the report is the rise of bodily AI. This class presently contains three unicorns, particularly Skild AI, Bodily Intelligence, and World Labs, and three humanoid robotic builders, that are Determine, Unitree Robotics, and Zhiyuan Robotic. This alerts sturdy investor confidence in AI’s transition from digital to bodily functions.
Morgan Stanley expects the humanoid robotic market to exceed US$5 trillion by 2050, together with gross sales from provide chains and networks for restore, upkeep and assist. By then, the variety of robots that resemble and act like people is projected to succeed in almost 1 billion, with 90% used for industrial and business functions. China is prone to have the very best variety of humanoid robots in use by 2050, at 302.3 million, trailed by the US at 77.7 million.
This surge will probably be partially pushed by elevated accessibility of humanoids. Costs are anticipated to fall to about US$150,000 by 2028 and US$50,000 by 2050, down from US$200,000 in 2024 in high-income nations. In lower-income nations, which can take extra benefit of the cheaper Chinese language provide chain, costs may fall to as little as US$15,000 by 2050, the agency says.
Foundational infrastructure leads AI unicorns
Giant language mannequin (LLM) builders presently dominate AI unicorns, with 12 ventures. Distinguished gamers embody France’s Mistral AI, valued at US$6.2 billion; Cohere from Canada, valued at US$5.5 billion; and China’s Moonshot AI, valued at US$3.3 billion.
This class additionally contains probably the most well-funded AI unicorns, akin to xAI, which has secured US$22,4 billion; and Anthropic, which has raised US$18.5 billion. These corporations are additionally among the many most beneficial AI startups, value US$75 billion and US$61.5 billion, respectively.
LLM builders are adopted by AI brokers, with eight ventures specializing in coding AI brokers and copilots, and 5 specializing in AI agent improvement platforms. Notable examples embody Seekr, an enterprise AI firm specializing in enterprise AI for crucial infrastructure markets; Helsing, which develops AI-powered protection programs for Western militaries; and Secure Superintelligence, which builds AI programs centered on security and excessive functionality.
Collectively, LLM builders and AI agent improvement platforms type the foundational infrastructure of AI, offering the constructing blocks for AI. Code AI brokers and copilots, in the meantime, symbolize some of the profitable functions layers constructed on high of this basis to this point.
Most of right this moment’s 100 AI startup unicorns emerged in 2024 (41 ventures), coinciding with the surge of curiosity following ChatGPT’s launch. Momentum has continued in 2025, with 31 unicorns minted to this point.
Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT is a AI-powered chatbot that permits customers to ask questions after which reply these questions with human-like responses. The app, owned by OpenAI boasts 700 million weekly energetic customers. OpenAI is valued at a staggering US$300 million, making it the third most beneficial startup on the earth. The startup lately signed a US$100 billion cope with Nvidia and has acquired a complete of US$11 billion in funding from Microsoft. It’s now reportedly in talks to boost as much as US$40 billion in a brand new funding spherical.
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