Boston startup funding reached $7.8 billion so far this year, the strongest tally in about four years, but lags the broader AI-driven surge across North America.

Boston-area startups have raised about $7.8 billion so far this year, putting the region on track for its strongest annual tally in about four years. The largest round went to Whoop, a wearable fitness technology provider, which raised $575 million in Series G funding at a $10.1 billion valuation in March.

North America venture funding hit a record high of $252 billion in the first quarter of this year, with more than 87% going to companies in Crunchbase AI-related categories. Few of those major AI fundraisers were in Massachusetts; the biggest generative AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are predominantly headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Boston's core strength remains biotech and healthcare, with more than half of the region's top-funded startups focused on those sectors. However, Boston has not produced one of the highest-valuation players in generative AI, which has affected the region's reputation as a leading innovation hub.