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ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, has emerged as a key participant in OpenAI’s recent fundraising round. The asset management firm contributed approximately $250 million to a capital increase totaling $6.6 billion. As a result of this investment, OpenAI, under the leadership of Sam Altman, has become the third-largest stake in the ARK Venture Fund. ARK is recognized as one of the most popular investment firms in the cryptocurrency space.
ARK Invest’s Stake in OpenAI
According to the ARK Venture Fund website, the investment in OpenAI constitutes about 5% of its total assets. This recent development demonstrates the asset management firm’s commitment to increasing its stake in the AI company. When ARK made its initial investment in April, its share was 4%.
OpenAI has impressively increased its valuation from $86 billion at the beginning of the year to $157 billion in just nine months, potentially exceeding expectations set by the CEO of ARK Invest. The $6.6 billion funding round has positioned the AI firm as one of the most valuable private companies globally.
OpenAI’s Growth
Besides ARK Invest, other investors in the $6.6 billion funding round included Microsoft, AI chip manufacturer NVIDIA, and Thrive Capital. Thrive Capital led the funding round with a $1 billion contribution, utilizing convertible senior notes for the financing.
Shortly after, OpenAI announced access to a new $4 billion revolving credit facility. This credit facility, provided by leading financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase, Citi, and Goldman Sachs, strengthens the balance sheet of the ChatGPT creator and offers flexibility for future growth opportunities. OpenAI’s CFO, Sarah Friar, stated;
“This credit facility further strengthens our balance sheet and provides us the flexibility to capture future growth opportunities.”
The company’s financial position has been bolstered by $10 billion in liquidity. This enhancement facilitates costly increases in computing capacity, such as purchasing chips from NVIDIA, and strengthens its competitive position against tech giants like Google.
The financial support and increasing investments received by OpenAI enable the company to take significant steps toward becoming a strong player in the global AI market. For stakeholders, these developments can be viewed as a positive signal regarding the company’s sustainable growth potential.
