Mira Murati’s AI Startup Thinking Machines Valued at $12B in Record-Breaking Seed Round

Key Takeaways:

• Thinking Machines Lab, founded by ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has raised a $2 billion seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz at a $12 billion valuation.

• The round includes backing from Nvidia, AMD, Accel, ServiceNow, Cisco, and Jane Street, signaling wide institutional confidence in the stealth-stage startup.

• Murati says the company’s first product will debut in the coming months and will include a “significant open source offering” aimed at researchers and startups.

• The company has recruited key talent from OpenAI, including John Schulman, Barret Zoph, and Luke Metz.

• Meta reportedly explored acquiring the startup, but talks did not result in an offer.

$2 Billion in Seed Funding Puts Thinking Machines on the Map

Less than a year after stepping down as OpenAI’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati has secured one of the largest seed rounds in Silicon Valley history. Her new venture, Thinking Machines Lab, has raised $2 billion in seed funding, valuing the still-stealth AI startup at $12 billion, a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch.

The funding round, led by Andreessen Horowitz, includes participation from a wide slate of major tech and finance players: Nvidia, Accel, AMD, Cisco, ServiceNow, and Jane Street.

Initial reports in June suggested the valuation would be around $10 billion, but investor demand appears to have pushed it significantly higher before close.

What Is Thinking Machines Building?

While the company has yet to publicly demonstrate any of its products, Murati offered a few early clues in a post on X Tuesday. She said the company’s first product will launch “in the next couple months” and will feature a “significant open-source offering.” The product is expected to support researchers and startups building custom AI models.

“Soon, we’ll also share our best science to help the research community better understand frontier AI systems,” Murati said.

The company has not confirmed whether this means it will release its own open-source foundation model. A spokesperson for Thinking Machines Lab declined to offer additional details.

OpenAI Talent, Google Cloud Partnership, Meta Interest

Thinking Machines Lab has quietly recruited former OpenAI colleagues, including John Schulman, Barret Zoph, and Luke Metz—a trio known for their contributions to deep learning and model scaling research.

Murati’s startup has also secured a partnership with Google Cloud to power its model training infrastructure, a move that suggests the company is preparing to scale large AI systems of its own.

Meanwhile, Meta reportedly held acquisition talks with Thinking Machines earlier this year, seeking to bolster its superintelligence strategy. However, those discussions did not advance to a formal offer, according to people familiar with the matter.

A Contender in the Next Wave of AI Labs

Thinking Machines is part of a small but heavily funded cohort of new AI labs that investors view as potential rivals to incumbents like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind.

Murati’s long-standing experience at OpenAI and her ability to attract top-tier talent have made her startup one of the most closely watched new ventures in the AI space.

Despite the backing and talent, catching up to competitors will not be easy. Companies like Meta, Google, and OpenAI are investing billions annually into frontier research, and meaningful technical differentiation is increasingly difficult. Still, Thinking Machines appears to be betting on open science, customizable models, and product-focused AI development as key differentiators.

Fast Facts for AI Readers

Q: What is Thinking Machines Lab?

A: A stealth AI startup founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, now valued at $12 billion after a $2B seed round.

Q: Who invested in the company?

A: Andreessen Horowitz led the round. Nvidia, AMD, Accel, Cisco, ServiceNow, and Jane Street also participated.

Q: What is the company building?

A: A product aimed at researchers and startups, including a “significant open source offering,” is expected to launch in the coming months.

Q: Who works there?

A: Murati has brought on former OpenAI researchers John Schulman, Barret Zoph, and Luke Metz.

Q: How does it compete with OpenAI and others?

A: By focusing on customizable models, open research, and developer-centric tools—though specifics are still under wraps.

Looking Ahead

With $2 billion in funding and a growing roster of high-profile hires, Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab is now one of the most well-capitalized AI startups in the world—even before launching a single product.

Its next move will be critical. In a competitive field dominated by well-resourced labs and billion-dollar training runs, Thinking Machines will need to pair scientific credibility with a clear strategy for impact. Whether its open-source ambitions and product focus will be enough to set it apart remains to be seen—but Murati has made it clear: this lab is aiming to lead, not follow.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.