Exploring OpenAI’s Startup Empire: A Deep Dive into Companies Funded by Its Venture Capital

The OpenAI Startup Fund, established in 2021, has made significant strides in the tech investment landscape by raising an impressive total of $175 million for its main fund. Additionally, it has garnered $114 million through five distinct special purpose vehicles, designed to create investment pools for targeted opportunities.

Investment Approach of OpenAI Startup Fund

In a notable departure from many large tech entities, OpenAI does not utilize its own funds for startup investments. Instead, the OpenAI Startup Fund is financed through external investors, including major contributor Microsoft and various other partners.

Startups Funded by OpenAI

According to research from TechCrunch, PitchBook, and Crunchbase, the OpenAI Startup Fund has successfully invested in over a dozen startups. Below is a list of notable companies that have publicly announced their funding from the fund:

1. 1X

This Norwegian humanoid robot startup secured $23.5 million in early 2023, with support from OpenAI Startup Fund and Tiger Global.

2. Ambience Healthcare

In February 2024, this AI medical note-taking startup raised $70 million in a Series B round co-led by OpenAI and Kleiner Perkins.

3. Anysphere (Cursor)

OpenAI’s fund led an $8 million seed round for Anysphere in October 2023, a company known for its AI-powered coding assistant, Cursor.

4. Chai Discovery

Chai Discovery, focusing on open-source AI models for drug discovery, raised $30 million in a seed round led by Thrive Capital and OpenAI.

5. Class Companion

This educational technology startup raised $4 million in 2023 from OpenAI, aimed at helping teachers provide personalized feedback.

6. Descript

Descript, a platform for collaborative audio and video editing, raised $50 million in a Series C round following the launch of ChatGPT.

7. Figure AI

The AI robotics startup Figure raised $675 million in February 2024, with investments from Nvidia, Microsoft, and OpenAI’s fund.

8. Ghost Autonomy

Ghost Autonomy raised $55 million in April 2023, with OpenAI’s fund contributing $5 million before the company ultimately shut down.

9. Harvey AI

This legal tech startup successfully raised $21 million in April 2023 and continued to receive funding through a Series D round, which valued the company at $3 billion.

10. Heeyo

Heeyo, an educational AI chatbot for children, announced a funding of $3.5 million from OpenAI and other investors in August.

11. Kick

Kicking off their efforts, this company raised $9 million for developing AI agents that streamline bookkeeping processes in October.

12. Mem

Mem, an AI-powered note-taking startup, raised $23.5 million in November 2022, led by OpenAI’s fund.

13. Milo

Milo, developing an AI personal assistant for parents, secured undisclosed pre-seed and seed funding from OpenAI and others.

14. Physical Intelligence

Physical Intelligence raised $70 million in a seed round and participated in a subsequent Series A that valued the company at over $2 billion.

15. Speak

The language learning app Speak raised $27 million in November 2022, followed by another $78 million in its Series C round.

16. Thrive AI

Co-founded by Arianna Huffington, Thrive AI aims to develop an AI health coach and aimed to raise $10 million in funding.

17. Unify

This sales technology startup secured around $19 million from OpenAI, Thrive Capital, and Emergence in its funding rounds.

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