Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI, is making waves in the tech world once again with her newly launched artificial intelligence startup, reportedly seeking a record-breaking $2 billion seed round. If successful, it would mark one of the largest early-stage fundraising efforts in history, signaling intense investor appetite for next-generation AI ventures.
Murati’s new company, called Thinking Machines Lab, was founded earlier this year and has already captured significant attention despite having no products or public demos. The startup’s mission focuses on building AI systems that are more personalized, accessible, and adaptable to real-world challenges—an area Murati emphasized during her tenure at OpenAI.
What’s making headlines isn’t just the massive fundraising goal but also the elite team Murati has assembled. Several of her former colleagues from OpenAI, including prominent engineers and AI researchers, have reportedly joined the company. The pedigree of the team, coupled with Murati’s reputation as one of the leading figures behind ChatGPT and OpenAI’s other major breakthroughs, has been a major draw for investors.
Venture capital firms, including top names in Silicon Valley, are said to be circling the deal, eager to gain an early stake in what some view as the next defining AI company. The huge funding goal reflects both the sky-high expectations and the increasingly capital-intensive nature of AI development, where access to compute, talent, and data is key.
Though the company remains in stealth mode, industry insiders say it could be positioned to challenge incumbents like OpenAI, Anthropic, and others. With AI becoming the center of the tech race, all eyes are now on Murati and her team as they prepare to shape the next chapter of the AI era.
