# The superintelligence funding wave: who is backing SI labs in 2026

*Published 2 October 2026 · fundlabs.si*

**In short.** Capital is pouring into labs that say outright they are building superintelligence. Foundational AI startups raised $178 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone, twice the total for all of 2025. New superintelligence labs are raising hundreds of millions before shipping a product, and at least one has already bought its .si domain.

## The numbers

Funding figures cover foundational AI labs, the companies building the most capable models.

| Signal | Detail |
|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | Foundational AI startups raised **$178 billion across 24 deals**, versus $88.9 billion across 66 deals in all of 2025 (Crunchbase) |
| Concentration | The largest Q1 2026 rounds went to OpenAI ($122 billion), Anthropic ($30 billion Series G) and xAI ($20 billion Series E) (Crunchbase) |
| May 2026 | **Recursive Superintelligence** emerges from stealth with **$650 million at a $4.65 billion valuation**, led by GV and Greycroft, with AMD Ventures and Nvidia (The Decoder) |
| April 2025 | **Safe Superintelligence (SSI)** raises $2 billion at a $32 billion valuation (Maginative) |
| 29 Sept 2026 | US executive order directs federal agencies to say "Super Intelligence" and "SI" (White House) |

## What the money is backing

- **Superintelligence as the stated goal.** Labs such as Recursive Superintelligence and Safe Superintelligence put the word in their names. Recursive describes its aim as AI that "recursively improves itself".
- **Strategic investors alongside VCs.** Chipmakers (Nvidia, AMD Ventures) invest next to venture funds (GV, Greycroft), linking compute supply to lab equity.
- **Fewer, bigger rounds.** 24 foundational deals in Q1 2026 raised twice as much as 66 deals in 2025. Money is concentrating in a handful of labs.

## Why this matters for funds, studios and accelerators

- **New vehicles need names.** Each wave of AI money has produced new funds, venture studios and accelerators. A fund or studio launched for SI labs needs a brand that reads as SI.
- **Labs are already buying .si.** Recursive Superintelligence bought **recursive.si for $20,000** (NamePros). That is the same move AI companies made to .ai.
- **The vocabulary has changed.** Since the executive order, "SI" is the US federal term. Funds that pitch to government-adjacent LPs, or to founders who use the new term, benefit from matching language.

## Where fundlabs.si fits

fundlabs.si names both halves of this market, the **funds** that finance SI and the **labs** that build it, on the extension that now reads as Super Intelligence. It is priced at £2,500 plus escrow fees. See https://fundlabs.si/insights/why-fundlabs-si.md

## Related reading

- [The case for fundlabs.si: why the name works and likely uses](https://fundlabs.si/insights/why-fundlabs-si.md)
- [.si domains for funds, venture studios and accelerators: market data and sales](https://fundlabs.si/insights/si-domains-for-funds.md)
- [fundlabs.si price, .si demand and comparable sales](https://fundlabs.si/pricing.md)

## Sources

- https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/foundational-ai-startup-funding-doubled-openai-anthropic-xai-q1-2026/
- https://the-decoder.com/ai-startup-recursive-emerges-from-stealth-with-650-million-to-build-self-improving-ai/
- https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/05/279726-ai-startup-recursive-superintelligence-secures-650m/
- https://www.maginative.com/article/sutskevers-safe-superintelligence-raises-another-2b-at-32b-valuation/
- https://www.namepros.com/threads/reply-ai-sold-for-77-000-recursive-si-for-20-000.1387881/
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/09/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-inaugurates-the-era-of-super-intelligence/