The three startup sectors that attract the most interest from investors

Over the past year, artificial intelligence has attracted more than half of all global venture capital. But the sector’s growth has not necessarily come at the expense of other emerging industries. On the contrary, areas that benefit from AI-driven automation, such as legal tech, or that combine artificial intelligence software with physical technology, such as robotics, are also achieving high levels of funding.

These are the three startup sectors that are attracting the most investor interest for 2026.

Legal tech

The legal industry may have a reputation for being conservative, but when it comes to automating and optimizing processes, the sector has shown rapid adoption of new technologies. Venture funding for legal tech startups exceeded US$4 billion last year, according to Crunchbase data. This figure represents a record and nearly doubles the US$2.2 billion the sector raised the previous year.

“I think that now, with generative AI for clients in closed environments, we are going to make waves in that regard. But without a doubt, the challenge now is to move the legal world, which is reluctant, toward change,” Juan Pablo Granda, CEO of Chilean legal tech company Lemontech, told Contxto.

Among the largest recipients of funding in 2025 are Clio, which develops cloud-based practice management software for law firms and raised US$500 million in a capital round led by New Enterprise Associates, in addition to US$350 million in debt.

Harvey, a startup that creates artificial intelligence tools for lawyers, raised US$819 million in four rounds of financing last year.

Robotics

Robotics, both humanoid and non-humanoid, have experienced a remarkable boom as investors move beyond AI software to delve into the physical layer of artificial intelligence. Venture funding for robotics reached nearly US$14 billion last year, representing a 70% increase over 2024 and even surpassing the funding peak of 2021.

In recent quarters, investors have backed a wide range of companies developing everything from deployable robotic appendages in industrial plants to general-purpose humanoid robots. Among the largest recipients of robotics funding in 2025 is Figure, a general-purpose robotics company, which raised US$1 billion in a Series C round led by Parkway Venture Capital. Apptronik, a humanoid robotics company, raised a total of US$734 million in its Series A and B rounds last year. Neuralink, the brain implant company led by Elon Musk, raised US$649 million in a Series C round in March.

Cybersecurity

Funding in cybersecurity also saw an increase over the past year, although it still remains below its 2021 peak. Global investment in the sector exceeded US$18 billion in 2025, a 26% year-on-year increase, with particularly strong activity in early-stage startups. This was also the third-highest annual total for the sector in the last decade.

In March last year, cybersecurity startup Strike closed a US$13.5 million Series A round. Among the top recipients of cybersecurity funding were Cyera, an AI-powered data security platform, which raised a total of US$940 million over the course of two rounds, its Series E and Series F. Saviynt, another AI-based identity security platform, raised US$700 million in a Series B led by KKR.

Bonus track: Fintech

Unsurprisingly, funding for fintech startups increased by 27% year-on-year to US$51.8 billion, surpassing the figures for the first time since 2022. However, it is worth noting that the 2025 total still represents a fraction of the 2021 peak.

Among the largest fintech funding deals globally in 2025 were Polymarket, a prediction market that raised US$150 million in a round led by Founders Fund, followed by US$2 billion in a deal led by Intercontinental Exchange. Recently, Ecuadorian fintech Jelou raised US$10 million in Series A funding to scale its WhatsApp payment platform.