OpenAI has proven itself to be a prolific fundraiser, raising billions of dollars from Microsoft and others to perfect its artificial intelligence software. More recently, it has also flexed its muscles as an investor in other AI startups, a strategy that could connect a generation of young companies with its machine learning models and Microsoft’s cloud services.
San Francisco-based OpenAI has invested in at least 16 companies through a $100 million fund backed by Microsoft and other investors, which will launch in May 2021, according to The Information. Just last month, OpenAI launched the accelerator Converge, which has invested in 10 companies so far. (See the OpenAI investment chart below.)