The OpenAI Startup Fund, a enterprise fund associated to — however technically separate from — OpenAI that invests in early-stage, usually AI-related corporations throughout schooling, legislation and the sciences, has quietly closed a $15 million tranche.
In response to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Trade Fee, two unnamed buyers contributed the $15 million in new money on or round April 19. The paperwork was submitted on April 25, and mentions Ian Hathaway, the OpenAI Startup Fund’s supervisor and sole accomplice.
The capital was transferred to a authorized entity referred to as a particular function automobile, or SPV, related to the OpenAI Startup Fund: OpenAI Startup Fund SPV II, L.P.
SPVs permit a number of buyers to pool their sources and make an funding in a single firm or fund. Within the VC sector, they’re generally used to put money into startups that don’t match a fund’s technique or that fall outdoors a fund’s phrases. SPVs can be marketed to a wider vary of non-institutional buyers.
It’s the second such time the OpenAI Startup Fund has raised capital via an SPV — the primary time being in February for a $10 million tranche.
The OpenAI Startup Fund, whose portfolio corporations embody authorized tech startup Harvey, Ambiance Healthcare and humanoid robotics agency Figure AI, got here beneath scrutiny final 12 months after it was revealed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had lengthy legally managed the fund. Whereas marketed like a regular company enterprise arm, Altman raised capital for the OpenAI Startup Fund from outdoors restricted companions, together with Microsoft (an in depth OpenAI accomplice and investor), and had the ultimate say within the fund’s investments.
Neither OpenAI nor Altman had — or have — a monetary curiosity within the OpenAI Startup Fund. However critics nonetheless argued that Altman’s possession amounted to a battle of curiosity; OpenAI claimed that the final accomplice construction was supposed to be “temporary.”
In April, Altman transferred formal control of the OpenAI Startup Fund to Hathaway, beforehand an investor with the VC agency Haystack, who’d performed a key position in managing the Startup Fund since 2021.
As of final 12 months, the OpenAI Startup Fund — whose ventures additionally embody an incubator program referred to as Converge — had $175 million in commitments and held $325 million in gross web asset worth. It has backed effectively over a dozen startups, together with Descript, a collaborative multimedia enhancing platform valued at $553 million final 12 months; language studying app Speak; AI-powered note-taking app Mem; and IDE platform Anysphere.
OpenAI hadn’t responded to TechCrunch’s request for remark as of publication time. We’ll replace this put up if we hear again.
