OpenAI Reaches 852 Billion Valuation Sparking Massive Windfall for Early Backer Thrive

OpenAI is widely expected to go public within the next year, launching a period of high liquidity for its initial shareholders. The company now carries a valuation of $852 billion, compared to the $29 billion valuation at which Thrive Capital first invested in 2023.

Founded in 2009 with $5 million from friends and family, Thrive Capital first gained prominence through a 2012 Series B round for Instagram. The firm's institutional growth was aided by Andrew Golden, former investment director of Princeton University's endowment, whose participation in Thrive's first institutional fund in 2011 helped put the firm on the map.