TLDR:
- Big-named investors dominated investing in U.S.-based startups in May.
- Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst led the month with a lot of big rounds.
In May, some of the most-active US investors in U.S.-based companies were Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, and Alumni Ventures. Andreessen Horowitz led with 10 deals, participating in a $6 billion round for xAI, Elon Musk’s generative AI startup, and co-leading cloud security startup Wiz’s $1 billion raise. General Catalyst followed with 8 deals, taking part in Karius’ $100 million Round C and Transcarent’s $126 million Series D. Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, and Alumni Ventures each made 7 deals. Sequoia Capital also participated in xAI’s and Wiz’s rounds, led a $26.5 million Series B for Quantum Circuits. Khosla co-led Karius’ $100 million round and Rad AI’s $50 million Series B.
Founders Fund led in international trade, leading a $1 billion round for Scale AI, valuing it at $13.8 billion, and a $45 million Series B for Polymarket. Alumni Ventures focused on smaller earlier-stage rounds, with the exception of Frore Systems’ $80 million Series C. Y Combinator was the top investing incubator and accelerator with 10 deals in May. Accel followed with six deals, leading the way in most led or co-led deals and top dollar amount rounds with Khosla Ventures.
Overall, big rounds and strategic investments characterized the month of May, with top investors making significant moves in the US startup scene.
