AI startup funding tracker
AI startup funding, and whether AI engines know the company yet
Each week Press Pool lists the AI companies that publicly announced a funding round, one line each from the public record, and checks whether ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers already cite the company's own website.
This week: September 21–26, 2026
24 AI funding rounds; the 23 announced in dollars total $6.05 billion. Largest: Nscale ($3.36 billion), Island ($400 million) and Cyera ($400 million). 7 of 24 companies were already cited in AI answers.
| Company | Amount | Round | Announced | Led by | Cited by AI engines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nscale | $3.36 billion | Pre-IPO convertible notes | Sep 25 | Third Point | Yes (4 answers) |
| Island | $400 million | Series F | Sep 24 | Evolution Equity Partners | Not yet |
| Cyera | $400 million | Series G extension | Sep 22 | Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives (no lead named) | Yes (9 answers) |
| Snorkel AI | $350 million | Series E | Sep 22 | Insight Partners, S32 | Yes (13 answers) |
| Heidi | $340 million | Series C plus growth investment | Sep 22 | Blackbird, General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund | Yes (11 answers) |
| Enveda | $311 million | Series E | Sep 23 | Catalio Capital Management | Not yet |
| Verda | $189 million (€163 million) | Series B plus additional investment | Sep 22 | Emergence Capital | Yes (2 answers) |
| Basecamp Research | $140 million | Series C | Sep 23 | S32 | Not yet |
| Go.AI | $85 million | Series A | Sep 22 | Updata Partners | Not yet |
| Ema | $77 million | Series B | Sep 23 | Creaegis | Yes (1 answer) |