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Databricks, Perplexity co-founder pledges $100M on new fund for AI researchers
- Andy Konwinski, co-founder of Databricks and Perpelexity, is backing a new AI research institute, Laude, with a $100 million pledge.
- Laude Institute will focus on making investments structured like grants, with a board including esteemed figures like Dave Patterson, Jeff Dean, and Joelle Pineau.
- The institute announced a $3 million grant annually for five years to establish the AI Systems Lab at UC Berkeley, led by Ion Stoica.
- The new lab is set to open in 2027 and aims to push AI research forward for beneficial outcomes, differentiating itself from some commercially-focused counterparts.
- Konwinski's institute is structured as a nonprofit with a public benefit corporation arm, investing in 'Slingshots' for early-stage research and 'Moonshots' for long-term challenges.
- Apart from research, Konwinski's company Laude operates a for-profit venture fund, having invested in startups like Arcade.
- Despite Konwinski's $100 million pledge, he is open to investments from other technologists, leveraging the success of Databricks and Perplexity.
- The initiative aims to support independent and human-helpful AI research in a landscape increasingly saturated with vendor-driven benchmarks for AI models.
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