Unfunded AI company fundraising in Q1 2026 reached $226 billion, exceeding full-year 2025 figures. OpenAI alone raised $122 billion, demonstrating accelerating capital inflow into AI. Mega-rounds (single fundings exceeding $100 million) increased significantly as a proportion of total fundraising.

Domestically, major Japanese companies are increasing investments in AI startups. Enterprises with deep learning and generative AI technologies are priority investment targets, with strategic funding from NTT, KDDI, and Sony accelerating. Even seed-stage startups with innovative deep learning capabilities are achieving successful fundraising.

This investment trend reflects concentrated capital toward AI agent production deployment and supporting foundational technologies and infrastructure. Startups capable of balancing AI technology development with implementation are expected to secure competitive market advantages going forward.