Global Illumination was backed by Paradigm, a VC firm that had previously focused on Web3 startups. The studio had raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round in early 2022 from Paradigm, Benchmark, and Slow Ventures. The acquisition could potentially mark the beginning of a series of acquisitions by OpenAI, although it is unclear if this is part of a larger M&A strategy.
Key takeaways:
- OpenAI has acquired Global Illumination, a product studio that recently built online mini games. The entire team of Global Illumination has joined OpenAI to work on their core products, including ChatGPT.
- Global Illumination had eight team members, including three founders; Thomas Dimson, Taylor Gordon, and Joey Flynn, all of whom previously worked at Meta. Thomas Dimson, the co-founder and CEO of Global Illumination, was previously the Director of Engineering at Instagram.
- While Global Illumination has been leveraging AI to develop creative tools and digital solutions, it appears that OpenAI primarily acquired this team for their past experience rather than specifically for the projects they were working on at Global Illumination.
- Global Illumination was backed by Paradigm, a VC firm that until last year focused exclusively on Web3 startups. The design studio had raised an undisclosed amount of money from Paradigm, Benchmark, and Slow Ventures, in a seed round in early 2022.