The artificial intelligence market experienced significant growth in 2025, nearing $1.5 trillion according to IT research firm Gartner, as investments surged amidst the ongoing AI boom. This surge is attributed to heightened enterprise spending and advancements in data center construction. As the landscape evolves rapidly, CRN has identified ten standout AI startups that are making notable strides in innovation.
Among these, Anthropic, led by CEO Dario Amodei, has gained attention for its Claude family of large language models (LLMs). In a recent funding round, Anthropic secured $13 billion, boosting its valuation to $183 billion and facilitating its expansion in enterprise offerings. The company also acquired Bun to improve the performance of its coding agent, Claude Opus 4.5, which it claims to be the leading model for coding and computer applications.
Other notable startups include Project Prometheus, backed by former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, which emerged from stealth in 2025, and Airia, an enterprise platform focused on AI security and orchestration. As 2026 approaches, these companies are positioned to play pivotal roles in shaping the future of artificial intelligence.