When we try to predict which startup sectors will score massive follow-on rounds, it helps to spot areas already landing hefty initial checks. That’s why looking at seed funding data is so revealing. Although overall investment at the seed stage slipped in 2024, a few categories saw surprising gains. Predictably, artificial intelligence led the way. But other sectors, focused on automating tasks humans usually handle, also thrived.
Below, we explore four standout niches for early-stage capital.
1. Robotics: A Growing Powerhouse
Building new robots isn’t cheap. So when a promising robotics startup closes a deal, the round tends to be bigger than the typical seed. In 2024, this pattern held true, with multiple companies landing outsize early checks.
A top example is San Francisco-based The Bot Co., founded by former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt. It launched with a remarkable $150 million in seed funding, aiming to develop household chore robots that can handle everyday tasks. Meanwhile, Physical Intelligence — also headquartered in San Francisco — dazzled investors with a $70 million seed round in March and a $400 million Series A by November. China-based Galaxy General also made headlines after raising $95 million in angel financing in June, followed by another $70 million in November.
All these large deals pushed seed funding for the robotics space to over $1 billion last year — an astonishing 77% jump from the previous year. Driving this rise was the explosive activity at the intersection of robotics and AI. Across different stages, 2024 also saw several humanoid robot startups net gigantic rounds. This momentum seems set to continue, reinforcing how automation is shifting our daily routines.
Robots often star in sci-fi. Automated bookkeeping usually doesn’t. Yet this unglamorous corner of the tech world is attracting heavy seed funding. In fact, startups that focus on accounting, bookkeeping, and tax prep collectively landed $143 million at the seed level in 2024. That’s up 70% from the prior year, coming close to the 2021 peak.
Much of this surge ties back to AI-driven innovation. The largest seed recipient was Light, a Danish startup providing an AI-powered general ledger system for multinational firms. It snagged $13 million in June. In the U.S., Tola secured $10.2 million in seed financing to advance its AI-enabled billing management tools. Another American startup, Numeric, closed a $10 million seed round in May and followed it with a $28 million Series A in October. Their solutions promise to save time and reduce errors, showing that investors see big potential in automating tedious financial tasks.
3. Legal Tech: A Steadfast Contender
Legal tech is a standout because its early-stage funding has remained remarkably steady, even through the boom-and-bust cycles of the past few years. Since 2021, global seed investment in legal tech has stayed within the $170 million to $200 million range, showing rare consistency for such a volatile market.
Once again, AI-driven platforms led the charge. Overall, seed funding for U.S. legal tech reached $93 million in 2024 — a 37% climb from the previous year. Norm AI, a regulatory compliance platform, attracted $11 million in seed financing in January, followed by a $27 million Series A in June. Meanwhile, Garden, which develops tools for patent lawyers, pulled in $6.8 million in a seed round. These deals highlight how the sector is evolving, with software designed to streamline complex legal tasks.
4. Artificial Intelligence: The All-Too-Obvious Giant
It’s tough to talk about major startup trends without focusing on AI. Although we saved it for last, it’s not because the category is small. Companies tagged as AI-driven raked in $7.6 billion in seed funding in 2024 — over a quarter of all global seed investments.
Several mammoth deals propelled these numbers. We already mentioned AI-centric robotics companies like The Bot Co. and Physical Intelligence. Beyond robotics, EvolutionaryScale drew $142 million for its novel “biological AI” models targeting therapeutic design. Paris-based generative AI startup H Company pulled in a cool $100 million for its seed round. These successes underline how AI is becoming the default backbone for innovations across industries, from drug discovery to creative content generation.
Enter The Age Of AGI
Seed funding patterns don’t just offer insight into financial returns. They also reflect a shift in how entrepreneurs imagine tomorrow’s world. Lately, we’ve seen a dramatic pivot from the prior decade’s comfort-focused apps toward powerful solutions that reduce the need for human labor. In the 2010s, we saw unicorns like Uber and Airbnb flourish by using tech to connect humans, from drivers to hosts. Now, we’re edging into a future where robots might scrub our floors, software may handle our bookkeeping, and AI could become our everyday research assistant.
This focus on reducing reliance on human effort signals a new vibe. Founders aren’t merely building time-saving apps; they’re creating technology to automate entire categories of tasks. As investment grows in robotics, AI, and software-led services, it’s evident that “manual” is no longer the default. The rise in seed funding for these areas suggests tomorrow’s biggest winners may be those automating processes once reserved for people.
