Sector Snapshot: AI Takes A Growing Share Of Sales And Marketing Startup Funding

Businesses may be watching their software budgets more closely, but they are still spending on products that help them find customers and keep the ones they already have.

Startups across sales, marketing and customer management have raised $7.5 billion so far this year, according to Crunchbase data. The largest rounds span everything from advertising and customer data to sales software, e-commerce and customer support — reflecting just how many companies are still trying to build a better way to market and sell.

The broad trend: 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.

Unsurprisingly, AI-focused companies are capturing a much larger share of funding than during the prior peak, with most sales, marketing and CRM investment going to companies in Crunchbase AI-related categories.

The numbers: So far in 2026, startups in sales, marketing and CRM have raised $7.5 billion globally across 830 funding rounds, Crunchbase data shows. At the current pace, funding could finish near the $9.3 billion raised in both 2023 and 2024, although potentially below last year’s $11.1 billion. Deal volume, meanwhile, is on track to fall for a fourth consecutive year — pointing to a market where investors are putting more money into fewer companies.

Funding in recent years remains far below past levels. In 2022, for example, funding in the sector topped $27 billion, and in 2021, it totaled nearly $41 billion.

The year’s largest funding recipient so far was AppsFlyer, which raised more than $1 billion in a June Series E from Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity. The San Francisco-based marketing measurement company, whose products now include AI agents that analyze marketing data and automate tasks, was valued at $2.7 billion.

Restaurant financing and rewards platform inKind Capital announced $450 million in new capital in February. The Austin-based company did not identify a lead investor or disclose a valuation.

In January, AI-native customer service company Parloa raised a $350 million Series D led by General Catalyst. The Berlin-based company develops AI agents that handle customer conversations by phone and other channels. The financing tripled its valuation to $3 billion.

Meanwhile, Whop, an online marketplace for digital products, communities and courses, received a $200 million strategic investment from Tether in February. The deal valued the New York-based company at $1.6 billion.

Another larger deal went to Dubai-based property listings platform Property Finder, which announced a $170 million equity investment in January. The company uses AI in products including home valuations and tools that help real estate agents improve and prioritize listings. Mubadala led the deal, with participation from another UAE sovereign wealth fund and existing investor BECO Capital. The company did not disclose a valuation.

On Sept. 9, AI-powered sales automation startup Clay announced it had raised a $115 million Series D at a $7.1 billion valuation. This was more than double the $3.1 billion valuation it achieved when it raised a $100 million Series C in August 2025. Wellington led the latest round, with participation from Sequoia Capital, StepStone, Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z Perennial wealth management arm, CapitalG, BoxGroup and others. The company says the raise followed 4x revenue growth in 2025. It also told Crunchbase News that it’s on track to hit $200 million in ARR this quarter, and $240 million by the end of the fiscal year.

The sector has produced one notable public offering, but most exits are coming through acquisitions as larger companies buy specialized sales and marketing products to add to their existing platforms, Crunchbase data shows.

Liftoff Mobile, a Redwood City, California-based mobile advertising and app-marketing company, began trading on the Nasdaq in June. It initially sold 19 million shares at $23 each, raising $437 million. The IPO valued Liftoff at $3.83 billion, based on the outstanding shares disclosed in its IPO prospectus.

There have been a number of M&A deals this year in the sector, too, though in most cases, the acquisition price was not disclosed.

The largest known deal was Dutch payments giant Adyen’s acquisition of Talon.One, a Berlin-based loyalty and promotions platform, in July for about $880 million. Talon had previously raised over $120 million in venture funding.

Other startup M&A deals in the marketing and sales arena in 2026 include:

Funding is down from peak years, but it’s clear investors haven’t lost interest in sales and marketing startups. However, they are putting more money into fewer of them. Companies that help businesses find customers, increase sales, or retain existing business are still landing big checks and attracting buyers. But with acquisitions far more common than IPOs, a public-market exit remains much harder to come by.

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