Startups Join AI Acquisition Rush

A growing number of venture capital-backed firms are buying artificial-intelligence startups, holding off public market debuts as they bulk up on products and services, startup founders and investors say.

Venture-backed startups spent roughly $8 billion acquiring an estimated 72 AI startups last year, compared with 49 in 2020, according to 451 Research, a unit of analytics provider S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Since…