A report by data institution PitchBook reveals that funding for US startups skyrocketed by 75.6% year-on-year to reach $162.8 billion in the first half of 2025. This significant growth was primarily fueled by the sustained prosperity of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. Notably, AI sector funding accounted for 64.1% of the total funding during this period, making it the second-best year on record for funding.