AI Boom Mints 90 New Unicorns in H1 2026 — Double the Pace of 2025

What Happened

According to TechCrunch data from July 5, 2026, the AI investment boom produced nearly 90 new unicorns in H1 2026, compared to ~40 in the same period of 2025. The AI startup investment pace more than doubled.\n\n## Context and Impact
Record VC investments of $510B in H1 2026 reflects growing market confidence in AI as a fundamental platform shift. Late-stage rounds are getting larger as investors compete for positions in hot companies. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are adding corporate venture dollars alongside traditional VCs.\n\n## Details

• Promethus (co-founder Jeff Bezos): $12B Series B, total funding $18.2B, valuation $41B
• Baseten (AI inference): $1.5B in June 2026 at $13B valuation
• Among new unicorns: MainFunc (Genspark workspace) and Avoca (AI agents for customer support)
• At current pace, 2026 could mint 150+ new unicorns