Looking into 2025, fintech leads investor interest, with 52% of investors eyeing disruption in finance, followed closely by healthcare and enterprise tech, according to June reports from Pitchbook. Deep tech bets remain strong, with 58% of investors backing robotics plays from founders. A notable trend is the rise of vertical AI startups, which offer laser-focused solutions targeting specific SaaS incumbents (such as the previously-mentioned healthcare and financial services, as well as the legal sector). Vertical AI companies in these arenas captured over $1 billion in combined funding in 2025 year-to-date, surpassing infrastructure and horizontal AI categories. The push for capital is not limited to one area or sector, as AI investment continues to be the top topic for VC firms and founders right now. When it comes to accessing the gold rush of investor dollars around AI investment, leaders in the world of entrepreneurship need to keep these three key communication principles in mind: Context over Content: the ability to create a story that is real, relatable and powerful is the key to a successful pitch. Relatability and access is the key for AI investment – and that access begins with the context for the concept. That relatability is what creates the relationships that matter, when it comes to finding funding for your startup. Authenticity, Not Hype: accessing capital investment always starts at the same place: a conversation. Even in a high-stakes pitch, like the kind you see on Shark Tank, the conversation is where business decisions are made. Numbers Speak Louder than Words: Stanford’s AI index report says that training OpenAI’s ChatGPT cost more than $78 million in compute resources last year. In the world of AI startups, the cost of compute can eat away at sustainable margins, numbers speak louder than words. That’s why founders have to emphasize data, not adjectives, in order to give investors a clear picture of what an AI startup really needs.