On March 31, 2026, OpenAI closed its largest-ever funding round, securing $122 billion in committed capital and achieving a post-money valuation of $852 billion. The round was anchored by major partners including Amazon, NVIDIA, and SoftBank, with continued involvement from long-term partner Microsoft. A consortium of prominent firms also participated, such as a16z, D. E. Shaw Ventures, MGX, TPG, BlackRock, Blackstone, Sequoia, Temasek, Fidelity, Coatue, Dragoneer, and funds advised by T. Rowe Price.
In a significant move for retail access, OpenAI raised more than $3 billion directly from individual investors through bank channels for the first time. The company stated the funds will be directed toward chips, data centers, and hiring.
Concurrently, Cathie Wood's ARK Invest executed one of its biggest single-day moves, purchasing approximately $240 million worth of OpenAI Group stock across three of its exchange-traded funds: the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW), and the ARK Blockchain and Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF). Each fund now holds roughly a 3% stake in OpenAI. This provides retail ETF investors with unprecedented indirect exposure to the sought-after private company before any potential IPO.
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar emphasized the company's goal to give retail investors access to both its technology and the associated financial upside. Cathie Wood commented on the strategic move, stating that "in the world of fintech, agentic AI is going to create some amazing opportunities."
The funding news is backed by OpenAI's explosive growth metrics. The ChatGPT platform reportedly boasts over 900 million weekly users and more than 50 million paying subscribers. The company now generates $2 billion in revenue every month, with business customers accounting for over 40% of total revenue. OpenAI expects enterprise revenue to match consumer revenue by 2026.
To support its expansion, OpenAI also expanded its revolving credit facility to about $4.7 billion, backed by a syndicate of banks including JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, UBS, HSBC, and Santander.
