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AI Research Lab Imbue Nabs $200 Million For Speculative Bet To Build AI ‘Agents’

Sep 07, 2023 - forbes.com
Imbue, an AI startup led by Kanjun Qiu and Josh Albrecht, has announced a $200 million Series B funding round led by the Astera Institute, a nonprofit owned by billionaire Jed McCaleb. The round, which also includes Nvidia, Cruise cofounder Kyle Vogt, and Notion cofounder Simon Last, values Imbue at over $1 billion, making it one of the few woman-led AI unicorns. Imbue is focusing on developing an AI "agent" that can simulate human decision-making to complete complex tasks, a different approach from rivals like OpenAI and Google who are building massive AI foundation models.

Despite having no revenue, Imbue has raised significant funding and has access to 10,000 of Nvidia’s H100 GPUs, similar to the number used by OpenAI to train GPT-3. The startup is still in its early stages, employing only about 20 people and not yet having a demo ready for public consumption. However, its founders are confident in their approach and believe that their AI agents have the potential to revolutionize computing, similar to how the Xerox PARC lab did for personal computers half a century ago.

Key takeaways:

  • Imbue, an AI research lab founded by Kanjun Qiu and Josh Albrecht, has raised $200 million in a Series B funding round led by the Astera Institute, valuing the startup at over $1 billion.
  • Imbue's focus is on developing an AI "agent" that can simulate human decision-making to complete complex tasks, acting more like a virtual research assistant than a chatbot.
  • The startup has access to 10,000 of Nvidia’s H100 GPUs, which it is using to build these AI agents. However, it could be years before a product is ready for public use.
  • Despite its high valuation and significant funding, Imbue is still in the early stages of its journey, employing only about 20 people and facing scrutiny from investors who question the team's credentials to operate a serious AI research lab.
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