As 2025 unfolds, artificial intelligence has moved from promise to platform. Despite a slowdown in overall venture deal count, AI captured an outsized share of global VC funding in 2024, accounting for over a third of total capital deployed and dominating the largest investment rounds.
The market is undergoing several structural shifts. Cost-efficient models and algorithmic innovation are challenging the assumption that scale alone determines AI leadership, while constraints around compute and energy are being addressed through massive infrastructure investment by Big Tech. At the same time, AI adoption is broadening rapidly — from healthcare and manufacturing to enterprise workflows — driven by agents, automation, and verticalised applications.
Early-stage activity remains particularly strong, with rising deal sizes and valuations signaling long-term investor conviction. Looking ahead, the next phase of value creation is likely to center on AI infrastructure and platforms: tools that standardize deployment, enable interoperability, and lower the barrier to adoption — potentially mirroring the role the App Store played in mobile.
AI is no longer a single sector. It is becoming foundational infrastructure for the global economy.
🔗 Full story: https://medium.com/verb-ventures/the-ai-horizon-emerging-trends-and-opportunities-57a050c720a9