A new a16z report looks at which AI companies startups are actually paying for, highlighting real spending data from emerging businesses. Released on Thursday, the report was developed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) in partnership with fintech firm Mercury. It draws insights from Mercury’s transaction data, analyzing the top 50 AI-native application layer companies startups are investing in.
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This report builds on a16z’s previous “Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps” and aims to uncover how AI adoption is shaping the startup ecosystem.
Startups Spending Across Many AI Tools
According to a16z partners Olivia Moore and Seema Amble, the data shows startups are experimenting widely with AI. Instead of consolidating around a handful of dominant platforms, companies are still exploring multiple products for specific tasks.
“There’s a proliferation of tools,” Amble explained. “It hasn’t just coalesced around one or two in each category.” This suggests the AI landscape is still highly fluid, with apps quickly rising—and sometimes falling—based on market fit.
Productivity Copilots Dominate
One key finding from the new a16z report looks at which AI companies startups are actually paying for is that spending is currently focused on “human augmentors” or AI copilots. These tools are designed to enhance productivity rather than fully automate workflows.
The preference indicates that startups still want humans at the center of decision-making, using AI mainly as a support system. This cautious adoption may slow the shift toward full agentic AI workflows.
The Next Wave: Agentic AI Tools
Still, Amble believes this shift is coming. As technology matures, startups may move from copilots toward fully autonomous, end-to-end agent tools.
“As computer use becomes more of a mode and there’s more of the ability for there to be end-to-end agentic flows built, I think that shift will happen,” Amble said. “Especially as people are really eager to give them a try.”
Why This Matters For Startups
The new a16z report looks at which AI companies startups are actually paying for highlights a key moment in AI adoption. Startups are willing to pay for tools that directly boost productivity today, while keeping an eye on future breakthroughs in agentic AI.
For founders, this underscores the importance of building practical, revenue-driving tools rather than betting solely on long-term promises.
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