The Money TrailJuly 7, 2026via Crunchbase News
North American Startup Funding Shattered Records In First Half Of 2026, Driven By AI
Why it matters
AI is now the primary engine of venture capital deployment. Understanding where that $392B is flowing reveals which AI segments (infrastructure, applications, safety, agents) investors see as the next wave.
Key signals
- $392B total North American startup funding H1 2026
- Record-breaking amount driven by AI investment
- Data source: Crunchbase
- U.S. and Canadian startups combined
- Published July 7, 2026
The hook
$392B. That's what North American startups raised in H1 2026—a record smashed by AI funding alone.
Overall, investment in U.S. and Canadian startups totaled a staggering $392 billion for the first half of 2026, per Crunchbase data, dwarfing anything we’ve seen before.