A recent compilation of the largest US startup funding rounds in May 2026, shared by investor Marc Seitz on LinkedIn, paints a stark picture: artificial intelligence is not just leading the pack—it is reshaping the entire venture landscape. The list, which aggregates publicly reported deals, features late-stage giants and fast-growing tooling companies, underscoring how investor appetite is clustering around AI platforms, infrastructure, and capital-intensive tech with defensible moats.
Mega-rounds for frontier models
At the top, a reported $65 billion Series H for Anthropic dominates the headlines. While such a figure—if confirmed—would be unprecedented, it reflects the enormous capital required to train and deploy next-generation foundation models. Alongside it, billion-dollar-plus growth rounds for companies like Cognition and Sierra signal that late-stage investors are willing to place massive bets on AI-driven automation and enterprise software.
Infrastructure and developer tools attract significant checks
Beyond the frontier-model companies, the May list highlights substantial raises for AI infrastructure and developer-tool startups. OpenRouter, DeepInfra, and Vellum each secured funding rounds that, while smaller than the mega-deals, still run into the hundreds of millions. These companies provide the plumbing that makes AI accessible—model routing, inference optimization, and prompt engineering platforms. Their presence on the list suggests that investors see durable value in the picks-and-shovels layer of the AI stack.
What this means for Morocco’s tech ecosystem
For Moroccan founders, the distribution of these rounds offers a clear map of where global capital is concentrating. The frontier-model space requires capital and compute resources that are largely out of reach for startups in smaller ecosystems. However, the strong interest in AI infrastructure, developer tools, and vertical applications points to accessible niches. Moroccan startups could focus on AI integration services, industry-specific fine-tuning, or AI‑ops solutions tailored to Francophone Africa or the local enterprise market.
For Moroccan limited partners and family offices exploring venture allocations, the snapshot provides a benchmark for risk, stage, and sector focus. Allocating to international funds with an AI thesis—or backing local funds that understand the regional application layer—could align with these global trends while managing concentration risk.
What to watch next
The figures cited are based on secondary reporting and should be verified as definitive rounds close. Still, the direction is unmistakable. As AI continues to attract the bulk of venture dollars, Moroccan stakeholders should monitor whether this concentration leads to a funding gap for non-AI sectors, and how local startups can position themselves as essential partners in the global AI supply chain.
Source: Marc Seitz on LinkedIn, summarizing US startup funding rounds in May 2026. The figures are based on publicly available data and may be subject to revision.