Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab Secures Record-Breaking $2B Seed Funding at $10B Valuation
6 Sources
[1]
Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab closes on $2B at $10B valuation | TechCrunch
Thinking Machines Lab, the secretive AI startup founded by OpenAI's former chief technology officer Mira Murati, has closed a $2 billion seed round, according to The Financial Times. The deal values the six-month-old startup at $10 billion. The company's work remains unclear. The startup has
[2]
Murati's Thinking Machines Raises Cash at $10 Billion Valuation
Thinking Machines Lab, the artificial intelligence startup launched by former OpenAI executive Mira Murati, has raised close to $2 billion at a valuation of $10 billion before the investment, according to people familiar with the matter. Andreessen Horowitz led the funding round, with
[3]
Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab valued at $10bn after $2bn fundraising
OpenAI's former chief technology officer Mira Murati has raised $2bn for her new artificial intelligence start-up, in a deal which values the mysterious six-month-old company at $10bn. The deal, which closed recently, according to multiple people familiar with the transaction, was one of the
[4]
Thinking Machines Lab's $2B Seed Round Is Biggest By A Long Shot
If you were to imagine the kind of startup likely to snag the largest seed round of all time, it would probably look something like Thinking Machines Lab. Launched and led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, and joined by AI heavy hitters from Meta, OpenAI, Google and Mistral AI, the San Francisco
[5]
Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab raises $2 billion seed round at $10 billion valuation
The deal, led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Conviction Partners (founded by ex-Greylock investor Sarah Guo), is among the largest-ever seed rounds in Silicon Valley's history -- underlining the investor frenzy surrounding AI model companies founded by ex-OpenAI leaders.Thinking
[6]
Ex-OpenAI Tech Chief Raises $2 Billion for New AI Startup | PYMNTS.com
By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. The artificial intelligence (AI) firm reached that valuation following a $2
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Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati's new AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab, has raised $2 billion in seed funding at a $10 billion valuation, marking one of the largest seed rounds in Silicon Valley history.
Record-Breaking Seed Funding
Thinking Machines Lab, a secretive AI startup founded by former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, has secured a staggering $2 billion in seed funding, valuing the company at $10 billion
1
. This deal, led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Sarah Guo's Conviction Partners, marks one of the largest seed rounds in Silicon Valley's history2
.
Source: ET
Star-Studded Team and Investor Appeal
The six-month-old startup has leveraged Murati's reputation and assembled a team of high-profile AI researchers to attract investors
3
. Key hires include:- John Schulman, OpenAI co-founder and former head of alignment, now serving as chief scientist
- Jonathan Lachman, former head of special projects at OpenAI
- Barret Zoph and Lilian Weng, former vice-presidents at OpenAI
The company has also recruited talent from Meta, Google, and Mistral AI, forming a team of about 30 engineers and researchers
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.Ambitious yet Secretive Mission
While Thinking Machines Lab's specific work remains unclear, the company has stated its aim to "make AI systems more widely understood, customizable and generally capable"
4
. The startup also intends to build multimodal systems that work collaboratively with people.
Source: Crunchbase
Murati's Background and OpenAI Connection
Mira Murati, 36, left OpenAI in September 2024 after leading the development of prominent AI products such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and voice mode
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. She was briefly named interim CEO during the tumultuous period when Sam Altman was ousted and then quickly reinstated as OpenAI's chief executive in November 20233
.Unique Governance Structure
Following the funding round, Murati will hold board voting rights that outweigh all other directors combined, ensuring she has final say over all critical decisions at the company
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.Related Stories
AI Startup Landscape
Thinking Machines Lab joins a growing list of AI model companies founded by former OpenAI executives, including:
- Anthropic, co-founded by ex-OpenAI VP of research Dario Amodei
- Safe Superintelligence Inc (SSI), co-founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever
Source: PYMNTS
These startups have attracted billions of dollars from investors eager to bet on the next wave of general-purpose AI models
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.Investor Frenzy and Future Prospects
The unprecedented size of Thinking Machines Lab's seed round underscores the immense investor appetite for AI and faith in the vision of noteworthy founders to compete with established players like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta
3
. As the company moves forward with its ambitious plans, the tech industry eagerly awaits to see how it will shape the future of AI development and applications.References
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