OpenAI just raised a historic amount of money. Here are 2 stunning numbers you shouldn't forget.
OpenAI just raised a historic amount of money. Here are 2 stunning numbers you shouldn't forget.
Brian SozziWed, April 1, 2026 at 1:32 PM UTC
0
OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) continues to show it has a knack for getting investors to open up their wallets real wide.
The ChatGPT maker announced a record-breaking funding round on Tuesday, securing $122 billion in committed capital. The massive raise — the largest in Silicon Valley history — values the cash-burning company at $852 billion.
This capital injection — ahead of what could be an initial public offering later this year — was co-led by SoftBank alongside prominent venture firms including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), D.E. Shaw Ventures, MGX, TPG, and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates.
Existing strategic partners in Amazon (AMZN), Nvidia (NVDA), and Microsoft (MSFT) also participated in the round.
OpenAI said in a blog post that it will use the money to help fuel its ambitions to build a "unified AI superapp."
"At a more skeptical time we talked about OpenAI's grand 'fake it 'till you make it'. Well they made it, and with the official announcement of their historic fundraise, put an exclamation point in their achievements," DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria said in a note.
Luria is one of the few analysts on Wall Street to cover OpenAI, despite the company still being private.
Advertisement
The capital raise highlights two stunning achievements for a company founded only in 2015.
Growth vs. S&P 500 players
If OpenAI were public, it would now be the 11th-largest company in the S&P 500 (^GSPC), strategist Charlie Bilello at Creative Planning pointed out.
From OpenAI's $28 billion valuation in 2023 to $852 billion in just three years is impressive, Bilello noted:
Valuation in April 2023: $28 billion
January 2024: $86 billion
October 2024: $157 billion
March 2025: $300 billion
October 2025: $500 billion
April 2026: $852 billion
Second-largest private company in the world
Post-capital raise, OpenAI has further solidified its lead over rival Anthropic (ANTH.PVT) as the second most valuable private company, according to Yahoo Finance private companies data. OpenAI's valuation is second only to Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPAX.PVT) at $1.45 trillion. SpaceX is widely seen as heading toward an IPO before year-end.
The race to be the hottest private company. (Yahoo Finance)
Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor and a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
Source: “AOL Money”
