Funding Landscape

In April 2025, global venture capital investment reached $23 billion, maintaining a steady figure compared to the previous year but significantly lower than March’s impressive $68 billion. This downturn marks one of the slowest months in venture funding over the past year, according to data from Crunchbase.

Highlighting March’s Context

The preceding month of March witnessed an unprecedented surge, driven predominantly by a record-setting $40 billion investment in OpenAI. This remarkable influx contributed to March being the highest month for funding since 2022.

Significant Investments in April

April’s major funding deal belonged to Safe Superintelligence, an AI research lab co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, former chief scientist at OpenAI. The startup secured $2 billion at a valuation of $32 billion, elevating its worth by $27 billion within just seven months.

Sector Performance

Artificial intelligence remained the frontrunner in April’s funding landscape, attracting around $7 billion, which constitutes roughly 30% of total global investments. Following closely were:

• Healthcare and Biotech: $4.1 billion
• Financial Services: $3.8 billion
• Other Notable Sectors: Security, solar energy, transportation, and space

Geographical Insights

Startups based in the United States commanded a significant $14 billion, amounting to 62% of global funding in April—a marked increase from 56% in 2024. In contrast, China raised $1.7 billion, while both the United Kingdom and India garnered just over $800 million, securing joint third place.

Active Investor Landscape

Leading players in venture capital during April included Insight Partners, Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, and Khosla Ventures. Notably, private equity firms like Greenoaks, Franklin Templeton, and General Atlantic led the largest deals alongside Accel.

Funding distribution by stage revealed that:

• 10% was directed towards seed-stage companies
• 37% to early-stage startups
• 53% to late-stage investments

Market Dynamics and Future Outlook

The funding slowdown in April may reflect broader uncertainties within the venture capital market, partly influenced by U.S. tariffs and trade tensions. The absence of substantial singular deals, akin to OpenAI’s investment, could foreshadow continued caution among investors as the second quarter approaches.

Data Methodology

The statistics presented in this report derive from Crunchbase and are as of May 2, 2025. It is important to note that reporting delays might affect early-stage funding data, with seed funding often revised significantly after the close of a quarter or year.

All financial values are expressed in U.S. dollars unless specified otherwise. Currency conversion occurs at the historical spot rate on the date funding rounds or other financial activities are reported.

Glossary of Funding Terms

Understanding funding terms is crucial for interpreting this data:

• Seed and Angel: Includes seed, pre-seed, and angel rounds.
• Early-Stage: Comprises Series A and Series B rounds and similar funding.
• Late-Stage: Encompasses Series C and beyond.
• Technology Growth: Involves private equity rounds for previously funded companies.