AI Leads a Diverse Mix of the Week’s Top 10 Funding Rounds

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This is a weekly feature that runs down the week’s Top 10 announced funding rounds in the U.S. Check out last week’s biggest funding deal roundup here.

Startup funding driven by artificial intelligence experienced another fascinating week, featuring several massive investments alongside unique enterprises. The largest capital infusions went to AI processor and system developer Tenstorrent and AI lab Flapping Airplanes. Meanwhile, the most unusual transaction was a $200 million seed round secured by Warhound, which aims to breed elite military dogs.

A variety of substantial investments spanning biotech, space technology, and physical AI completed the rankings.

1. Tenstorrent, $1.5B, AI infrastructure: Based in Santa Clara, California, Tenstorrent builds AI processors and systems, and secured $1.5 billion in Series E funding. Trace Capital and Innovation X led the investment, valuing the 10-year-old enterprise at $6.2 billion.
2. Flapping Airplanes, $1B, foundational AI: Flapping Airplanes is an AI lab concentrating on models that are cheaper to train and operate. It finalized $1 billion in Series A financing led by Lux Capital and Index Ventures. This milestone arrives less than 10 months after the one-year-old San Francisco startup secured a $180 million seed round.
3. ASI, $325M, AI for critical infrastructure: ASI builds AI systems designed to secure and operate critical infrastructure across transportation, aviation, and defense. The Boston-headquartered company captured $325 million in Series C financing led by Spark Capital, establishing a $3 billion valuation.
4. Xona, $250M, space tech: Xona is building a next-generation replacement for GPS and raised $250 million in Series D funding led by Future Ventures. The round values the Burlingame, California-based enterprise at $2.4 billion.
5. Pathos AI, $237M, biotech: Pathos AI integrates artificial intelligence into drug discovery. The New York-based enterprise completed a $237 million Series E round that brought its post-money valuation to approximately $3 billion, led by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
6. Warp Sciences, $215M, AI, robotics and life sciences: Warp Sciences leverages AI and robotics to accelerate the discovery of new therapeutics, securing a $215 million Series A round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
7. (tied) Whop, $200M, online business marketplace: Whop provides a platform that empowers entrepreneurs to establish and operate digital businesses. It collected $200 million in Series D financing led by Sequoia Capital and Shopify Ventures, resulting in a $5.1 billion valuation for the New York-based company.
8. (tied) Star Therapeutics, $200M, biotech: South San Francisco, California drug developer Star Therapeutics reported raising $200 million through new financing led by OrbiMed and Janus Henderson Investors. This capital follows Incyte’s acquisition in July of Vega Therapeutics—a Star subsidiary—for up to $2 billion.
9. (tied) Warhound, $200M, military dogs: Warhound emerged from stealth with $200 million in seed financing from numerous backers, including Sequoia Capital and 8VC 1. The startup intends to breed working dogs for emergency responders and U.S. military personnel. Co-founded by Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey, the company plans to integrate Anduril technology onto the animals.
10. Arda Industries, $160M, AI manufacturing software: Arda Industries creates AI-driven software tailored for manufacturing engineering. The San Francisco startup closed on $160 million in Series A funding at a $1.5 billion valuation, co-led by Altimeter Capital, Accel, and Khosla Ventures. The business also revealed a previously unannounced $72 million seed financing.

Methodology

We tracked the largest announced funding rounds within the Crunchbase database secured by U.S.-based companies between Oct. 17-23, 2026. While the database captures the majority of announcements, minor reporting delays can occur for rounds disclosed late in the week.

Illustration: Dom Guzman

?Frequently Asked Questions

01What was the largest funding round of the week?

The largest funding round went to Tenstorrent, which secured $1.5 billion in Series E funding at a $6.2 billion valuation.

02Which companies tied for the $200 million funding amount?

Whop, Star Therapeutics, and Warhound each raised $200 million during the week.

03What does Warhound plan to do with its funding?

Warhound launched from stealth with $200 million in seed funding to breed working dogs for emergency responders and U.S. military forces, utilizing technology from Anduril Industries.

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1. 8VC is an investor in Crunchbase. They have no say in our editorial process. For more, head here.↩