DeepMind alumni raise at least $100M for Revolution Labs, Bloomberg says
A breakfast gathering of 15 former DeepMind employees and alumni in London turned into a discussion about funding new AI ventures. The meeting, held at a five‑star hotel near Google’s UK headquarters, highlighted how DeepMind’s shift of its AI division from London to California—marked by co‑founder Demis Hassabis stepping down in August—has spurred a wave of alumni looking for capital.
Key points
- 15 DeepMind alumni met in London to discuss startup funding
- Nando de Freitas aims to raise at least $100 million for Revolution Labs
- DeepMind has produced over 40 AI startup founders, more than OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta combined
Among the alumni, Nando de Freitas, who left DeepMind in 2024 after a decade at the lab and a stint at Microsoft Corp., is reportedly in talks to raise at least $100 million for a startup called Revolution Labs. The company plans to focus on AI diffusion models, an alternative to transformer‑based large language models. De Freitas’ move follows a broader trend of DeepMind scientists, including David Silver, Thore Graepel and Jack Parker‑Holder, who are also seeking or securing funding.
The article notes that Google and DeepMind have produced over 40 founders of “neolabs,” more than OpenAI, Anthropic PBC and Meta Platforms Inc. combined, according to a June analysis by Radical Ventures. Other DeepMind executives, such as Nobel laureate John Jumper, have joined rivals like Anthropic, underscoring the growing VC interest in AI talent emerging from the lab.
Google DeepMind Exodus Sparks VC Frenzy for AI’s Next Big Thing
finance.yahoo.com · 25 September 2026
Loading the full article…
This text was published by finance.yahoo.com and written by Yazhou Sun, Mark Bergen and Shona Ghosh. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
The headline, key points and digest above were generated by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources. Automated summaries can contain errors: the sources are the record. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Published by Martin K., who runs Digest AI and handles corrections.
More in Business & Funding
All →- Meta's Muse AI agent reaches 2.8 million downloads and adds $234 billion in market value · 17 src
- Meta says Muse AI agent will take fee from merchant transactions · 4 src
- Akamai signs $11.6bn cloud deal with Anthropic · 10 src
- Anthropic’s founders propose super-voting shares ahead of IPO · 3 src
- Bank of America raises AMD price target on Anthropic-Akamai CPU deal · 1 src
Comments
via GitHub Discussions