In a venture capital landscape that was losing its lustre, generative AI startups emerged as a rare beacon of brilliance last year, raking in an impressive $22.8 billion worldwide, according to insights from Dealroom.
In the dynamic realm of artificial intelligence, generative AI startups are maintaining their shine despite a somewhat dim venture capital landscape. According to a recent analysis by Dealroom, these startups secured a noteworthy $22.8 billion in funding last year globally, offering a glimmer of optimism.
As we enter the early months of 2024, the trend seems set to continue. Cohere, a generative AI startup based in Toronto and San Francisco, is reportedly in talks to raise a substantial investment ranging from $500 million to $1 billion. The aim is to fuel the expansion of its recruitment and sales efforts, marking a promising start to the year for the generative AI sector. However, OpenAI might soon overshadow Cohere’s ambitions, rumored to seek new capital at an impressive valuation of $100 billion.
Cohere distinguishes itself by utilizing large language models (LLMs) to generate visual and written content in response to user prompts. The company, a leader in generative AI for enterprise applications, can count Oracle among its prominent subscribers. While it shares the commonality of developing its LLMs with other startups like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Inflection AI, Cohere focuses on creating chatbots and enhancing search functionality for businesses rather than individual consumers.
The ongoing discussions surrounding Cohere’s potential investment indicate that investor interest in AI is set to persist throughout the year, aligning with predictions made by many venture capitalists in the latter part of 2023. However, some caution that 2024 may see a greater emphasis on profitability. In other words, while the enthusiasm for funding may remain strong, it might experience a relative slowdown.
Details about the investors participating in Cohere’s latest funding cycle remain undisclosed. In June of the previous year, the company successfully raised $270 million in a Series C round from various investors, including Thomvest Ventures, Oracle, and Nvidia, propelling its valuation to an impressive $2.2 billion.
Considering the broader investment landscape, U.S. investors injected $170.6 billion into startups last year, marking a 30 percent decline from the generous $242 billion invested in 2022, as the National Venture Capital Association reported.
Should Cohere’s plans materialize, reaching the maximum reported value of $1 billion would position the funding round in the mid-range of generative AI investments made in the previous year yet still claim the top spot for 2024. Microsoft’s substantial $10 billion investment in OpenAI took the lead in generative AI funding for 2023, while AI-based parking startup Metropolis secured the fifth-largest round at $1.1 billion, according to a Crunchbase report.
