Artificial Intelligence
Flapping Airplanes raises $1 billion at $6 billion valuation
Bloomberg reported that the year-old AI startup secured fresh funding from major venture investors, while its founders said the company was focused on reducing the data and computing needed to train and run models.
- Bloomberg reported that Flapping Airplanes secured $1 billion in new funding and was valued at $6 billion including the fresh capital.
- Index Ventures and Lux Capital led the round, with Sequoia Capital, GV, Kleiner Perkins and Nvidia also listed as participants or backers.
- The company was founded in late 2025 and was based in San Francisco.
- Bloomberg said the new valuation was four times the level reached in the company’s January fundraising.
- Co-founder Asher Spector said the company was working on ways to train AI models with less data and less computing power and to improve chip efficiency.
Bloomberg reported that Flapping Airplanes completed a $1 billion financing round that valued the company at $6 billion. The report said the transaction would be announced on Wednesday.
Index Ventures and Lux Capital led the round. Sequoia Capital, Alphabet’s GV and Kleiner Perkins also joined, and Nvidia was listed among the company’s backers.
The startup was founded in late 2025 and was based in San Francisco. Bloomberg described it as part of a group of AI “neolabs” that focus on research before products and revenue.
Asher Spector said the company was trying to reduce the data and computing needed to train models and to make chips more efficient. He said the business intended to commercialise the technology and make AI easier for other companies to adopt.
Aidan Smith said the firm had built its own software for Nvidia’s graphics processors, which he said improved efficiency and deployment flexibility. David Cahn said the funding reflected the founders, and Brandon Reeves said the company was well placed for the next phase of AI development.
Named in this story
People
- Asher Spector
- co-founded the company and described its aims
- Aidan Smith
- said the company had built its own GPU software
- Brandon Reeves
- Lux partner who praised the company’s position
- David Cahn
- Sequoia partner who commented on the founders
- Ben Spector
- was named as the company’s third co-founder
Companies
- Flapping Airplanes
- raised $1 billion and was valued at $6 billion
- Index Ventures
- led the funding round
- Lux Capital
- co-led the funding round
- Sequoia Capital
- took part in the round
- Alphabet
- was named as the parent of GV
- GV
- participated as an investor
- Kleiner Perkins
- participated in the round
- Nvidia
- was counted among the company’s backers
Places
- San Francisco
- is where the company was based
How the source tells it
The piece is straight business reporting, but it leans on boosterish investor framing and language about AI-sector momentum through quoted praise.
- vendor boosterism investor praise and singularity claims are repeated without challenge
- future-facing hype the story frames the company around the next stage of AI development and large economic upside