Marlize van Romburgh

We ranked August’s most active startup investors across several categories, including lead backers, prolific venture dealmakers, highest spenders and seed investors, which were once again dominated by familiar names.

It was a monster week for U.S. startup funding, with four companies each raising $1 billion or more. The Boring Co. led with a $3 billion Series D, followed by AI coding startup Cognition at $2 billion. Joining them near the top was fleet management software provider Motive, which landed $1.3 billion, while reusable rocket developer Stoke Space raised another $1 billion.

AI infrastructure dominated the largest venture rounds this week, with two multibillion-dollar deals in the sector taking the top spots. Data center and cloud provider Crusoe led with a massive $3 billion financing, followed by Fluidstack’s $1.5 billion raise.

In the first half of this year, 58 venture-backed companies joined the public listings at $1 billion or above, per Crunchbase data. With the year’s end now in sight, a small window remains for other startups to launch 2026 IPOs, so we took a look at notable venture-backed startups that Crunchbase’s predictive intelligence suggests are potential IPO candidates within the next six months.

This month’s installment of this column is all AI, though applications for the technology range widely, from two startups that apply AI to trash or recycling, to another that promises to help people breathe and sleep better, to a company that says its AI can help architects and builders spot commercial projects before they’re even announced.

Venture investors seem to be more upbeat than they have been in years about the future of fitness and wellness. Startup investment in those categories totaled more than $3.6 billion in the first half of this year, putting 2026 on pace to come in about a third higher than 2025.

Freehand Raises $75M Series B To Automate Fortune 500 Supply Chain Spend

9 Shares Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Throne Science, a startup that makes an AI-powered toilet camera to track gut health and hydration, has raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Will Ventures, it told Crunchbase News exclusively. Emerson Collective, Workshop, LEAD VC, Salt VC, Accomplice, Moxxie Ventures, and several other investors also […]

AI once again dominated venture funding this week, claiming five of the 10 largest announced rounds, including a pair of billion-dollar financings for AI infrastructure and cybersecurity that led the pack.

The five most intriguing startup deals from the past month include one that’s simultaneously developing AI models for biology, a company that wants to prevent modern day private markets from the kind of paperwork crisis that shut down Wall Street in the ‘60s, and AI agents that can dispatch plumbers and electricians to your door.