Small language models.

$100M+ deals.
Autonomous driving.

 

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December 20, 2025

Hi there,

 

Here are this week's top research briefs.

ICYMI
 
Our top AI market maps of 2025

From autonomous agents to humanoid robots, here’s a visual guide to the companies reshaping enterprise AI, infrastructure, and industry applications.

AI100-FI-042025-6-1024x536

Regulated industries and sovereign AI fuel small language model momentum

Small, open models are gaining ground in compliance-sensitive industries like government, finance, healthcare, and law, while nations deploy them to build sovereign AI capabilities. Using CB Insights data, we identify why the market is forging ahead.

image4-Dec-18-2025-10-21-06-8058-PM
AI meets the physical economy: November mega-rounds pivot to industrial AI

We look into the tech companies that raised $100M+ rounds in November to uncover signals on market momentum, strategic plays, and industrial AI.

image3-Dec-18-2025-08-48-34-5809-PM
The Future of Professional Services: How firms will capture value in the AI agent era

Using CB Insights predictive intelligence and insights from senior AI and data executives at top professional services firms, we developed a roadmap for staying competitive in an AI-first world. Four priorities emerge: orchestrating the AI agent tech stack, activating proprietary data for smarter agents, turning services into scalable AI products, and leading the buildout of a human-AI workforce.

FutureofProfessionalServices-MainGraphic-102025-final-880x1171

Customer-Exclusive Research

 

The autonomous driving market map: Mapping the companies shaping self-driving at scale

We used CB Insights data to identify 90+ private companies and leading subsidiaries as autonomous driving hits an inflection point.

The-autonomous-driving-market-map-17-e1766166880670-898x1536

The military-startup complex: How Silicon Valley is reshaping the defense industry

We analyzed CB Insights data to examine record defense tech funding, understand global investment trends, and identify how companies can navigate the new military-startup complex.

Global-defense-tech-funding-1-1024x437

140+ companies rewriting the legal industry

We mapped 140+ startups across 11 legal tech markets to discover which markets are gaining momentum, identify investment opportunities, and find potential partners in the legal tech space.

The-legal-tech-market-map-v2-880x1139 (1)

Have a great weekend.

 

I love you. 

 

Anand

@asanwal

Co-Founder & Exec Chair

 

P.S. Want to predict the birth of unicorns before they happen? Learn how using CB Insights Mosaic Score.

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