We don't know much about Ilya Sutskever's new venture, Safe Superintelligence Inc. (SSI), but we do know that it has now secured a massive $1 billion in funding. The investment propels the three-month-old company to a $5 billion valuation, signaling strong investor confidence in the nascent firm's potential.
SSI, launched in June 2024, boasts an all-star founding team. Alongside OpenAI's former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, are Daniel Levy, another OpenAI alum, and Daniel Gross, who previously led AI initiatives at Apple. The funding round attracted heavyweight Silicon Valley investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, and SV Angel.
The amount raised isn’t surprising, considering the pedigree of the founding team—but the rapid $5 billion valuation is definitely eyebrow-raising. For context, here is the approximate valuation of some of the leading frontier model startups:
- OpenAI - $100 Billion
- xAI - $24 Billion
- Anthropic - $15 Billion
- Mistral - $6 Billion
- Cohere - $5.5 Billion
SSI’s valuation places it just behind Cohere and Mistral, companies that have been operating for longer and have established products and teams. For a company founded just three months ago with only 10 employees, this valuation signals extraordinary investor confidence in SSI’s team and mission.
The company's website states, "Our singular focus means no distraction by management overhead or product cycles, and our business model means safety, security, and progress are all insulated from short-term commercial pressures." In theory, this ethos sets SSI apart from other AI labs, suggesting a long-term, safety-first strategy. However, what this looks like in practice, is yet to be determined.
Despite its lofty valuation, SSI remains small, with just 10 employees split between Palo Alto and Tel Aviv. The substantial funding will primarily go towards acquiring compute power and attracting top talent. CEO Daniel Gross emphasized their selective hiring process, focusing on candidates with "good character" and extraordinary capabilities over traditional credentials.
SSI’s funding round and valuation are a reminder that even as broader economic conditions lead to tightening investments, AI remains a hotbed of interest—especially when the right people are at the helm.