[Spark VC Weekly Insight] AI Investment Continues Despite Market Volatility
- Gary Xie

- May 16, 2025
- 1 min read
Despite recent corrections in tech-heavy indices and a general risk-off sentiment, funding in artificial intelligence (AI) startups remains strong. In Q2 2025, U.S. VC-backed AI firms raised over $4.8B, a 12% increase YoY, with focus shifting from foundational models to application-layer and infrastructure solutions.

VC Investment Themes
AI Ops & Workflow Automation
Investors are betting on AI tools that streamline enterprise operations—from customer service bots to automated legal review.
Vertical-specific AI (FinTech, MedTech)
Domain-specific AI with built-in compliance and integration capabilities is favored by sector-focused funds.
Compute Infrastructure & Model Compression
Cost-effective training and inference infrastructure—such as model compression, edge deployment—are gaining traction.
We continue to support founders who build scalable, efficient, and sector-aware AI solutions. Market noise should not distract from long-term strategic clarity.
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