Unveiling the OpenAI Mafia: 15 Groundbreaking Startups Founded by Alumni
As the tech landscape continues to evolve, a new wave of innovation is emerging from Silicon Valley, spearheaded by former employees of OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. This “OpenAI mafia” is rapidly attracting attention, with many alumni launching startups that are poised to reshape the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. With OpenAI’s valuation skyrocketing to $300 billion, it’s no surprise that many of its talented staff are venturing out to create impactful startups.
Key Players in the OpenAI Mafia
Here’s a closer look at some of the most notable startups founded by alumni of OpenAI:
1. Anthropic
Founded by Dario and Daniela Amodei, Anthropic emerged from OpenAI with a strong emphasis on AI safety. In 2024, John Schulman, another OpenAI co-founder, joined forces with them to develop safe AGI. Although Anthropic’s revenue is significantly lower than OpenAI’s, it has rapidly grown to become a formidable competitor, achieving a valuation of $61.5 billion in March 2025.
2. Safe Superintelligence (SSI)
OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever launched Safe Superintelligence after a brief departure from OpenAI in May 2024. SSI aims to create a “safe superintelligence” but has yet to release a product. Despite this, it has successfully raised $2 billion and currently holds a valuation of $32 billion.
3. Thinking Machines Lab
Founded by Mira Murati, OpenAI’s former CTO, Thinking Machines Lab is focused on developing highly customizable AI solutions. The startup is in the process of raising a substantial $2 billion seed round, with a minimum valuation of $10 billion.
4. Perplexity
Co-founded by Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity is an AI search engine that has attracted high-profile investors like Jeff Bezos. The startup is currently valued at approximately $18 billion and is in the midst of raising about $1 billion.
5. xAI
Founded by Kyle Kosic, xAI is Elon Musk’s AI venture that recently acquired X (formerly Twitter), boasting a valuation of $113 billion. Kosic’s experience at OpenAI has contributed to xAI’s ambitious projects.
6. Stem AI
Emmett Shear, former CEO of Twitch, is working on Stem AI, which is currently shrouded in secrecy. Shear’s project has already attracted investment from notable venture capital firms, including Andreessen Horowitz.
7. Eureka Labs
Andrej Karpathy, a prominent AI researcher, founded Eureka Labs to create AI teaching assistants after leaving Tesla. His expertise in computer vision is set to revolutionize educational technology.
8. Pilot
Jeff Arnold co-founded Pilot, an accounting startup that has raised $100 million in its latest funding round. Arnold’s journey from OpenAI to Pilot demonstrates the diverse paths taken by its alumni.
9. Adept AI Labs
David Luan co-founded Adept AI Labs to develop AI tools for employees. The startup has raised over $350 million and is currently valued at over $1 billion.
10. Cresta
Founded by Tim Shi, Cresta specializes in AI for contact centers and has raised over $270 million in funding from leading venture firms.
11. Covariant
Founders Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan started Covariant, which builds AI models for robotics. The trio’s expertise has led to significant advancements in the field.
12. Living Carbon
Maddie Hall co-founded Living Carbon, focusing on engineered plants capable of absorbing more carbon from the atmosphere. The startup has raised $21 million to combat climate change.
13. Prosper Robotics
Shariq Hashme co-founded Prosper Robotics, aiming to develop a robot butler for households, tapping into the growing interest in home automation.
14. Daedalus
Jonas Schneider co-founded Daedalus, which specializes in advanced manufacturing technology for precision components, raising $21 million in funding.
15. Kindo
Margaret Jennings launched Kindo, an AI chatbot for enterprises, raising over $27 million in funding before moving on to another AI venture.
The emergence of these startups highlights the significant impact of OpenAI alumni on the AI landscape. For further insights into the evolving AI industry, visit Forbes AI or check our internal resources on AI Innovations.
