Global AI Financing Diverges: The US Advances Rapidly, Asian Startups Face Funding Pressure

【CryptoWorld】The polarization of the fundraising market in 2025 is becoming increasingly evident. Taking Indian startups as an example, the total funding volume is expected to drop to $10.5 billion, a 17% decrease year-over-year, with the number of deals halving by 39%—this reflects a phenomenon: investment institutions are tightening their stock selection criteria rapidly.

Interestingly, the structure of financing shows clear differentiation. Early-stage rounds have grown against the trend by 7% to $3.9 billion, indicating that seed-stage projects can still attract funding. However, seed rounds and later-stage financings have plummeted significantly, suggesting that the market is already beginning to filter during the selection phase.

The AI sector, in particular, highlights global differences. Indian AI startups raised $643 million, with a modest growth rate of only 4.1%, mainly flowing into application-layer companies. In contrast, AI funding in the US exploded by 141%, surpassing the $121 billion mark—what does this gap indicate? The balance between infrastructure investment and application innovation is heavily tilted in favor of the US.

Government support has played a key role in this fundraising game. Large-scale R&D programs launched in some regions (such as a $12 billion special fund) have directly driven private capital into deep-tech sectors. This also explains why some markets can still maintain certain growth points despite an overall decline in funding.

Positive signals come from the exit side. Last year, 42 tech companies successfully went public, a 17% increase year-over-year, with local capital support clearly rising. This indicates that although primary market funding has contracted, the exit channels for quality projects are opening. For entrepreneurs, the current game rules are more brutal but also clearer—either you are a true AI company, or you must create something irreplaceable in a niche field.