beginning with hardware and software for AI A $100 million Series C financing led by Kindred Ventures has been raised for Humane. Sam Altman, the creator of Open AI, and existing investors Tiger Global, Valia Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Lachy Groom, and others took part in the round.
Hico Capital, the US-based investment arm of SK Networks, Microsoft, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, LG Technology Ventures, Top Tier Capital, Hudson Bay Capital, and Socium Ventures all participated in the round as new strategic investors and partners.
Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, two former members of Apple’s engineering team, founded Humane in 2018. Humane is developing an AI software platform and consumer products. That comes after Humane‘s $100 million Series B investment in September 2021.
“Our first device will enable people to bring AI with them everywhere. It’s an exciting time, and we’ve been focused on how to build the platform and device that can fully harness the true power and potential of this technology”said Imran Chaudhri, Co-Founder of Humane.
Humane issued a teaser in July of last year, giving viewers a sneak peek at what the company is creating, despite the lack of precise information about what it is creating. The main character in the teaser is shown standing among a group of people who are all huddled over handheld, wrist-worn, or eye-covering electronic devices.
YouTuber Sam Sheffer was hired by Humane to lead new media in August of last year. Sheffer earlier served as an editor for Engadget. Also, he worked for The Verge’s social media department for four years before joining Mashable as a creative producer.
Not only Humane but other AI businesses have recently received significant money. Character, a business creating AI chatbots that can imitate famous people, raised $200 million to $250 million in a round headed by Andreessen Horowitz, according to a story from the Financial Times last week. This valuation valued the platform at $1 billion. The generative AI business came out of stealth on February 27 with $65 million in funding.
