If there’s one company that has truly ridden the AI wave to the top, it’s Nvidia.
Just a couple of years ago, it was already known for making powerful graphics chips. But since ChatGPT exploded onto the scene, Nvidia has gone from a chipmaker to the heartbeat of the AI boom. Its profits have jumped, its stock price has soared, and now it’s becoming one of the most important backers of the AI startups shaping our future.
But Nvidia isn’t just making money from AI — it’s reinvesting that money straight back into the ecosystem.
Let’s break down how Nvidia has quietly become one of the most active — and strategic — startup investors in the AI world.
Why Nvidia Is Investing in Startups
Nvidia’s chips are already in high demand. Most cutting-edge AI tools run on them. But the company isn’t stopping at selling hardware — it’s also placing bets on the companies building the next generation of AI software, platforms, and services.
Here’s what they’re doing:
- Putting money into startups they believe can shift the market
- Strengthening relationships with companies that use Nvidia tech
- Making sure they’re right at the center of everything new in AI
In short: they’re not just selling shovels in the gold rush — they’re also buying stakes in the miners.
And the numbers show it.
In 2024, Nvidia joined 49 startup funding rounds, way up from 34 in 2023. That’s more deals than the four years before combined. Meanwhile, their dedicated venture arm, NVentures, has gone from doing just 2 deals in 2022 to 24 in 2024.
So far in 2025, they’ve already joined seven more.
The Massive Rounds Nvidia Has Backed
Let’s look at the biggest deals where Nvidia has put its money in — especially those over $100 million. These are organized from the biggest down.
The Billion-Dollar Club
OpenAI – $6.6B
Yes, the makers of ChatGPT. Nvidia invested $100 million in OpenAI in late 2023. It wasn’t the biggest check in the round, but it marked Nvidia’s entry into OpenAI’s inner circle.
xAI – $6B
After backing OpenAI, Nvidia also invested in Elon Musk’s AI company. That raised eyebrows since OpenAI had asked its investors not to fund direct rivals.
Inflection AI – $1.3B
Nvidia was a lead backer here. But things took a turn — Microsoft hired Inflection’s founders and bought access to its tech, leaving the startup in limbo.
Wayve – $1.05B
This UK-based company is building AI that can teach itself to drive. Nvidia joined a major round in May 2025.
Scale AI – $1B
Scale AI helps label data that’s used to train models. Nvidia joined this round with other big names like Amazon and Meta.
Other Huge Bets ($200M–$900M)
Nvidia has also gone in big on these mid-range giants:
- Crusoe – $686M
Builds energy-efficient data centers used by OpenAI and others. - Figure AI – $675M
Building humanoid robots that can work alongside people. - Mistral AI – $640M
A European rival in the AI model space. Nvidia has invested in them more than once. - Lambda – $480M
Provides cloud services for AI training, using — you guessed it — Nvidia chips. - Cohere – $500M
Offers language models focused on business and enterprise use. - Perplexity – $500M
An AI-powered search engine that’s picking up steam. Nvidia’s been a consistent investor here. - Poolside – $500M
This one’s building an AI coding assistant — a tool to help developers write code faster. - CoreWeave – $221M
One of Nvidia’s smartest early bets. CoreWeave rents out Nvidia GPUs by the hour and is now worth nearly $20B. - Together AI – $305M
Offers cloud-based tools for building and training AI models. - Sakana AI – $214M
A Japanese startup training smaller, cost-effective AI models. - Imbue – $200M
A research lab focused on building AI that can reason — not just spit out words. - Waabi – $200M
Focused on autonomous trucking. Nvidia joined the round with Uber and Volvo.
Smart Bets in the $100M Range
These might be smaller, but they’re still serious moves:
- Ayar Labs – $155M
Working on optical tech to make AI computing faster and more efficient. - Kore.ai – $150M
Builds AI chatbots for businesses — customer service, HR, and more. - Sandbox AQ – $150M
Focused on super-advanced math models used in finance and science. - Hippocratic AI – $141M
Building AI tools for healthcare, especially non-diagnostic help like patient prep. - Weka – $140M
A next-gen data platform optimized for AI workloads. - Runway – $141M
A rising star in generative video tools, letting creators make content faster. - Bright Machines – $126M
Uses AI to build smarter robotics for manufacturing. - Enfabrica – $125M
Designing better networking chips to speed up data flows in AI systems.
So, What’s Nvidia Really Doing Here?
It’s simple: Nvidia is betting on the entire AI ecosystem. And in doing so, it’s also protecting its own future.
By investing in:
- Model makers like OpenAI and Mistral
- Cloud platforms like Lambda and CoreWeave
- Tool builders like Perplexity and Poolside
- Specialized AI like healthcare (Hippocratic) and self-driving (Wayve, Waabi)
Nvidia ensures that every path leads back to its own hardware.
Most of these startups depend heavily on Nvidia’s GPUs. So, by helping them grow, Nvidia is also growing its own customer base.
Key Takeaways
Let’s wrap this up with the big picture:
✅ Nvidia is now a major AI investor, not just a chip company
✅ It’s making smart, strategic bets across every major part of AI
✅ Most of these companies rely on Nvidia hardware — creating a full-circle win
✅ Its influence now goes far beyond GPUs — it’s shaping the future of AI itself
Final Thought:
Nvidia isn’t just riding the AI wave — it’s steering it.
And if you want to understand where AI is headed next, keep an eye on where Nvidia’s money is going.