From CrunchBase, April 4:
Global Venture Funding In Q1 2024 Shows Startup Investors Remain Cautious
The first quarter of 2024 was the second-lowest on record for global startup funding since the beginning of 2018, according to an analysis of Crunchbase data.
Global venture funding reached $66 billion in the first quarter, up 6% quarter over quarter but down 20% year over year, Crunchbase data shows.
The lowest in the past six years was the previous quarter, Q4 2023. While funding amounts for the most recent quarter will increase a bit over time as data is added and reviewed, the overall investor outlook remains cautious.
Healthcare and AI lead
AI continued to stand out as a leading sector for investment in the first quarter. Companies in the AI sector raised $11.4 billion in Q1, or around 17% of global funding, Crunchbase data shows. The largest rounds went to:
- Beijing-based Moonshot AI, a large language model company that raised $1 billion led by Alibaba Group;
- Humanoid robot company Figure, based in Sunnyvale, California, raised $675 million and partnered with OpenAI; and
- Shanghai-based MiniMax, creator of AI companions and avatars, raised $600 million in another round led by Alibaba.
Still, AI was not the largest sector last quarter. The industry that raised the most amount of funding was healthcare and biotech. Companies in that sector raised $15.7 billion, or 24% of all global funding, in Q1....
....MUCH MORE
