19 Top VCs to Know Investing in AI and Machine-Learning Startups

• In 2021, VC-deal activity in AI tech shot up to $118 billion, according to PitchBook data.
• AI and data companies like HyperScience and Anyscale are surpassing $1 billion valuations.
• Many top VCs betting on AI and machine-learning startups are focusing on data management.

Venture-capital investment in artificial intelligence seems to have slowed a bit in 2022 from the historic highs of last year.

But top VCs at firms like Sequoia Capital, Coatue, Bessemer Venture Partners, Foundation Capital, and others told Insider they’re serious about investing in AI and machine-learning technology, especially as it relates to managing and optimizing vast and unwieldy datasets. 

Investment journeys have validated some long-term AI VCs over the past decade. For instance, Ashu Garg of Foundation Capital was an early investor in the analytics decacorn Databricks, which raised a $1.6 billion round last August. The evolution of software technology has helped expand the applications of AI at lower costs, he said. 

“If you look at what’s happened in AI, a lot of the core theory has been around for 20 years,” Garg told Insider. “What changed 15 years ago was the cost of computing — people were able to use larger models for the same costs, allowing them to find many more use cases for AI.” 

In 2022, VC investments in AI and machine learning amounted to $48.2 billion as of June 30, according to a recent PitchBook report. Last year, VC deals in AI and machine learning amounted to $118 billion, a roughly 80% increase from 2020, according to the report.   

Here are 19 venture capitalists to know who specialize in AI and machine learning: