Funding on AI Brief | AI-101.techhttps://AI-101.tech/tags/funding/Recent content in Funding on AI Brief | AI-101.techHugoenThu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000OpenAI's $122 Billion Mega Round: $852B Valuation, IPO Confirmedhttps://AI-101.tech/posts/2026-04-02-openai-122b-fundraise-ipo/Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://AI-101.tech/posts/2026-04-02-openai-122b-fundraise-ipo/<p>On March 31st, OpenAI dropped a bomb — a $122 billion funding round, valuing the company at $852 billion. This is probably the most absurd amount of money in this wave of AI. SoftBank and a16z led the round, with familiar names like Amazon, Nvidia, and Microsoft also participating, but what really caught my attention was that small detail: approximately $3 billion came from individual investors.</p> <p>Want to buy OpenAI stock before? No way. Now they&rsquo;ve directly placed shares into ARK Invest&rsquo;s ETF, giving retail investors access to shares before the company goes public.</p>