San Francisco-based AI lab Flapping Airplanes has secured $1 billion in a Series A funding round, bringing its total valuation to $6 billion. The round was co-led by Index Ventures and Lux Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital, GV, Kleiner Perkins, Valor, A*, Nvidia, and Atreides. The company has now raised a total of $1.18 billion since its inception.
Founded in late 2025 by Asher Spector, Ben Spector, and Aidan Smith, the lab focuses on developing methods to train AI models using reduced data and computing power. The team is currently working on a megakernel framework designed to optimize GPU utilization by consolidating training and inference tasks. The company has not yet released a commercial product.
The startup operates as a research-focused entity with a team of several dozen employees based in San Francisco. While the founders intend to commercialize their technology to lower AI operational costs, they have not provided a specific timeline for market entry. Index Ventures partner Mark Xu has joined the company's board of directors following the investment.
