Startups focused on sales, marketing, and customer management have raised $7.5 billion so far this year, according to data published by Crunchbase. The report shows that while investment levels remain well below their pandemic-era peak, AI-focused companies are now capturing a much larger portion of the funding that does flow into the sector. The largest deals of the year span advertising, customer data platforms, sales software, e-commerce tools, and customer support products.
At the current pace, the report finds that 2026 funding could finish near the $9.3 billion raised in both 2023 and 2024, though potentially below last year's $11.1 billion total. The $7.5 billion raised through 830 funding rounds represents a sharp decline from recent years: in 2022, the sector attracted more than $27 billion, and in 2021, funding totaled nearly $41 billion. Deal volume is on track to drop for a fourth straight year, pointing to a market where investors are concentrating capital in fewer companies. The year's largest funding recipient was AppsFlyer, a San Francisco-based marketing measurement company that raised over $1 billion in June from Moloco, Google, Meta, and Unity at a $2.7 billion valuation. Other significant deals included a $450 million raise by restaurant financing platform inKind Capital, a $350 million Series D for AI-native customer service company Parloa that tripled its valuation to $3 billion, and a $115 million Series D for AI-powered sales automation startup Clay at a $7.1 billion valuation—more than double the $3.1 billion it achieved just a year earlier.
The report notes that most sales, marketing, and CRM investment is now going to companies in Crunchbase AI-related categories, a stark shift from the prior funding peak. According to the data, investors are "making far fewer bets on sales and marketing startups than immediately before and after the COVID-19 pandemic," but they're still writing checks into the space. Exits in the sector have come primarily through acquisitions rather than public offerings, with larger companies buying specialized sales and marketing products to add to their existing platforms. The sector produced one notable IPO: Liftoff Mobile began trading on the Nasdaq in June, raising $437 million and achieving a $3.83 billion valuation. Acquisition activity included Dutch payments giant Adyen's $880 million purchase of loyalty platform Talon.One, Zoom's acquisition of sales intelligence startup Common Room, and HubSpot's deal for website visitor identification software Warmly.
The report concludes that while funding remains far below peak levels, investors haven't lost interest in sales and marketing startups—they're simply putting more money into fewer of them. Companies that help businesses find customers, boost sales, or retain existing accounts are still landing big checks and attracting buyers. However, with acquisitions far more common than IPOs, a public-market exit remains much harder to secure. The shift toward AI-focused companies reflects broader investor priorities, as products incorporating AI agents, automation, and data analysis tools dominate the largest funding rounds. The combination of fewer deals and higher concentration suggests investors are favoring established players with proven revenue growth over earlier-stage experiments, particularly when those companies can demonstrate AI capabilities that promise efficiency gains for stretched software budgets. With public exits remaining scarce, the acquisition path will likely continue to define how most venture-backed sales and marketing tools eventually find their finish line.