Thinking Machines Lab Secures $2 Billion Seed Round, Valued at $12 Billion

Thinking Machines Lab, the AI startup founded by Mira Murati, former chief technology officer at OpenAI, has secured a $2 billion seed round, valuing the company at $12 billion. The round, led by Andreessen Horowitz, includes participation from Nvidia, Accel, ServiceNow, CISCO, AMD, and Jane Street. This marks one of the largest seed rounds in Silicon Valley history, reflecting investor confidence in the AI sector.
Murati hinted at the company’s first product, which is expected to launch in the coming months. The product will include a significant open-source offering, aimed at assisting researchers and startups in developing custom AI models. While details remain sparse, Murati emphasized the company’s commitment to sharing its scientific advancements with the research community.
Thinking Machines Lab has quickly assembled a team of top talent, including former OpenAI colleagues like John Schulman, Barret Zoph, and Luke Metz. Despite reports of Meta exploring an acquisition, no deal was reached.
With billions in funding, Thinking Machines Lab is positioning itself as a potential rival to leading AI firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind. However, the startup faces a challenging landscape as competitors like Meta and Google DeepMind invest heavily in their own AI research. The company’s success will likely depend on groundbreaking research to differentiate itself in a rapidly evolving field.

Published: 7/16/2025