Watch Desk posted an update
Thinking Machines Lab is reportedly raising $5bn in a round led by Accel, valuing the AI startup at $40bn before the investment. Business Insider says the deal could close as soon as this week, citing sources; the report was surfaced by Techmeme.
Why it mattersThat would more than triple the company’s valuation from its last public funding round last year. It is a substantial bet on a young AI lab, though the reported deal is not yet described as closed.
Discuss: Does a $40bn price tag make sense for an AI lab at this stage, or is the funding market getting ahead of what the company has shown?
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedTech Funding News reports that the proposed $5bn round would value Thinking Machines Lab at $40bn before the new investment. That pre-money detail makes the headline valuation clearer: it is the price attached to the company before the fresh capital arrives.
The outlet says the valuation is more than triple the startup’s previous $2bn seed-round valuation last year. It also says the company had reportedly been seeking a $50bn valuation last year, putting the current reported figure below that earlier target.
The report adds that Thinking Machines Lab is preparing to release the weights for its Inkling 2 Small model under an Apache 2.0 licence. It does not give a release date, so the weights remain a promised next development rather than something readers can download now.
Sources and evidence
- Report: Accel is to lead a $5B for Thinking Machines Lab at a $40B valuation: Tech Funding News reports a proposed $5bn Thinking Machines Lab round at a $40bn pre-money valuation, says that is more than triple the previous $2bn seed valuation and below an earlier reported $50bn target, and says the company is preparing to release Inkling 2 Small weights under Apache 2.0.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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