Top 5 VC Deals of the Week in AI (10/3/25)

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This week we continue our series on the top 5 VC-funded deals in AI.

This week’s venture capital funding announcements accelerated from recent momentum, with all five transactions in excess of the $100 million threshold, and two crossing the $1 billion mark, including one record-breaking funding round.

The top reported deal, per FinSMEs, came from Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Cerebras Systems, which raised a massive $1.1 billion Series G in part to “expand its technology portfolio with continued inventions in AI processor design, packaging, system design and AI supercomputers,” according to its announcement. Both of our top funding raises occurred in the AI infrastructure space. In fact, it was a tie for first place, and our second announcement comes from the UK, where London-based Nscale, an AI hyperscaler, brought in its own $1.1 billion Series B, the largest ever raise of its kind in the UK or Europe. Nscale will use the funds to expand in North America, Europe and the Middle East, according to its announcement. The top five also included companies in the AI development, finance and enterprise AI sectors.

Smaller funding raises that did not quite make our top 5 this week included $100 million-plus announcements from the risk intelligence, lawtech, and senior living spaces.

Below, we highlight the top five venture capital deals, ranked from the highest to the lowest funding amounts, showcasing the companies at the forefront of the AI revolution…


Top 5 Venture Capital Deals from Sept. 25-Oct. 1

1. Cerebras Systems

  • Location: Sunnyvale, CA

  • Description: AI infrastructure company developing wafer-scale compute systems and AI supercomputers designed to train the largest foundation models.

  • Funding Amount: $1.1 Billion

  • Funding Round: Series G

  • Valuation: $8.1 Billion

2. Nscale

  • Location: London, UK

  • Description: Global hyperscaler offering enterprise-grade AI infrastructure built for security, performance, and scalability.

  • Funding Amount: $1.1 Billion

  • Funding Round: Series B

3. Vercel

  • Location: San Francisco, CA

  • Description: Platform provider enabling developers to build, deploy, and scale AI-native applications and agents at enterprise scale.

  • Funding Amount: $300 Million

  • Funding Round: Series F

  • Valuation: $9.3 Billion (post-money)

4. Tipalti

  • Location: Foster City, CA

  • Description: Provider of an AI-powered finance automation platform handling payables, procurement, and compliance for global enterprises.

  • Funding Amount: $200 Million

  • Funding Round: Growth financing (led by Hercules Capital)

5. Distyl AI

  • Location: San Francisco, CA

  • Description: AI-native startup helping enterprises integrate and operationalize agentic AI across their operations.

  • Funding Amount: $175 Million

  • Funding Round: Undisclosed

  • Valuation: $1.8 Billion

Make sure to check out our Top 5 VC Deals of the Week in AI right here!


Written & Researched by DWN Staff
VC Deals Synopsized by ChatGPT
Research Source: FinSMEs