The Humane startup of former Apple executives has raised $100 million and is collaborating with Microsoft and OpenAI
Humane, a startup founded by former Apple executives, announced a new round of investment of $100 million and a partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft, reports WSJ.
The startup, founded by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, plans to release a product this spring that incorporates artificial intelligence into user devices.
The company does not disclose what exactly it plans to sell. The published patents indicate that Humane intends to create a device that can be worn and that can be projected onto a display that users can interact with.
The company’s co-founders were longtime Apple executives and retired in 2016. Imran Chaudhri was the Director of Design on Apple’s Human Interface team, which is dedicated to creating positive user experiences with Apple devices. Bethany Bongiorno was Apple’s director of operating systems.
Patrick Gates, a former senior director of engineering at Apple, also works at Humane as CTO.
The $100 million round was led by Kindred Ventures and included participation from Microsoft, among others. OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman, who was an early investor in Humane, also joined in the new round. The company previously raised two rounds of financing totaling $130 million.
As part of a fundraising announcement Wednesday, the company said it would be working with Microsoft to power Humane’s cloud services. Humane would also be partnering with OpenAI to integrate its AI technology into the Humane device.
Earlier this year Microsoft has entered into a multi-year funding round for OpenAI, under which Microsoft can invest up to $10 billion in the company. OpenAI plans to sell its existing shares, which would value the company at $29 billion, making it one of the most valuable startups even though it generates little revenue.