Global AI Funding: Beijing Leads, Silicon Valley Dominates

Beijing is leading the world in AI funding concentration, with 66% of its startup funding directed toward AI-native companies, edging out Silicon Valley at 62%. Silicon Valley remains the dominant global hub, attracting over 65% of all AI-native funding worldwide. The "AI Big Three" - Beijing, Silicon Valley, and Paris - account for 79.4% of all AI-native investment across the top 40 global startup ecosystems.

Naver and Netflix are set to deepen their strategic collaboration following a meeting between top executives from the two companies in Silicon Valley this week. The meeting, which includes Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon and Webtoon Entertainment CEO Kim Jun-koo, marks the first official interaction between Naver and Netflix executives [1].

The invitation-only meeting has sparked speculation about potential new collaborative opportunities at both the content and platform levels. Naver and Netflix have already demonstrated a successful partnership, with Naver integrating a Netflix subscription benefit into its paid membership program in November 2023. This move, which offers Netflix’s ad-supported plan for a discounted price, has resulted in tangible growth for both companies. Netflix’s monthly active users in Korea surged from 10 million in June 2023 to over 14 million after the partnership, while Naver saw a 1.5-fold increase in average daily new signups to its membership service [1].

On the content side, Naver Webtoon has become a key intellectual property supplier to Netflix. Series such as “All of Us Are Dead,” “Sweet Home,” and “Trauma Center: Golden Hour” have topped global charts, showcasing the value of webtoon content on streaming platforms. However, both companies have denied rumors that the upcoming talks will explore integrating Naver Webtoon content directly into the Netflix mobile app, stating that the meeting is purely within the context of their partnership [1].

Meanwhile, AI and biotech continue to attract substantial investment. This week, Grammarly secured $1 billion in funding, Neuralink raised $600 million, and ClickHouse received $350 million in Series C financing, highlighting the robust interest in AI and biotech startups [3]. These investments underscore the growing importance of AI-native companies in the global startup ecosystem.

In terms of AI funding concentration, Beijing is leading the world with 66% of its startup funding directed toward AI-native companies, closely followed by Silicon Valley at 62%. Together, the "AI Big Three" – Beijing, Silicon Valley, and Paris – account for 79.4% of all AI-native investment across the top 40 global startup ecosystems [2].

References:
[1] https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10500999
[2] https://www.rcrwireless.com/20250530/ai-ml/humain-ai-fund
[3] https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/biggest-funding-rounds-billion-dollar-ai-biotech-grammarly-neuralink/