In an email sent to clients on April 11, Ark Invest praised OpenAI highly, stating it is at the forefront of the artificial intelligence explosion. The Ark Venture Fund has officially started investing in OpenAI from April 10, 2024.
The Ark Venture Fund is a venture capital fund under Ark Invest, with a size of $54 million, which is not considered very large. Founded in September 2022, the fund invests in a diverse array of companies including SpaceX, Epic Games Inc., Freenome Holdings Inc., and Relation Therapeutics, all of which are oriented toward cutting-edge technology.
This direction aligns with Ark Invest's ethos, with its most famous investment tool, the Ark Innovation ETF, becoming well-known before the pandemic for its substantial investment in companies like Tesla, propelling Ark Invest and its founder Cathie Wood to fame and fortune alongside Tesla's success.
However, this year Tesla's struggles have impacted related companies and financial institutions, including Ark Invest's ETF, compelling them to urgently seek the next "Tesla" to rally around.
On April 10, the Ark Venture Fund's official website directly added OpenAI, and later stated in an email that it had officially invested, without releasing an official announcement or disclosing the amount invested.
OpenAI has already raised a substantial amount of investment, with Microsoft being one of the major investors, contributing $13 billion, making them one of the main beneficiaries in this investment frenzy.
In addition to attracting external investments, OpenAI is also buying back shares from its employees, with an estimated internal buyback scale of approximately $86 billion, including shares from some former employees. The company specifically notified some former employees, allowing them to sell their company shares.
