Jeff Bezos' secretive artificial intelligence laboratory, Project Prometheus, is nearing the close of a massive $10 billion funding round that would value the startup at approximately $38 billion, according to reports from the Financial Times. This deal, which includes the new capital, would rank among the largest early-stage fundraises globally.
The round builds upon an initial $6.2 billion seed capital raise completed in November 2025. Due to exceptionally strong investor demand, the funding round was expanded to accommodate the additional $10 billion. Major institutional investors in the new round include financial giants JPMorgan and BlackRock. The fundraising had not been finalized as of April 20, 2026, but is expected to close soon.
Project Prometheus represents Bezos' first hands-on operational role since stepping down as Amazon's CEO in 2021. The company is co-led by Bezos and former Google executive Vikram Bajaj, and was co-founded by Sherjil Ozair and William Guss. The startup's core mission is to develop AI systems capable of understanding the physical world, with applications targeted at engineering, manufacturing, computers, automobiles, and spacecraft.
Prometheus is pursuing a dual-strategy business model. Beyond developing its core AI technology, the company is establishing a separate investment arm structured as a holding company. This entity plans to raise tens of billions of dollars to acquire businesses in sectors like engineering, architecture, and design—areas the founders believe will be disrupted by Prometheus's own AI. This strategy serves a dual purpose: it positions Prometheus to benefit from industry transformation while providing a proprietary source of the real-world, physical interaction data crucial for training its AI models, a significant challenge in the field.
The company is still in its early phases but has already recruited over 100 employees, including talent from leading tech firms like Meta, OpenAI, and DeepMind.
