Have you heard about OpenAI's Converge2 accelerator program? In December last year, OpenAI announced the second batch of applications for its six-week accelerator program launched in 2022, but then it seemed to vanish without a trace.
However, according to TechCrunch, insiders have revealed that Converge2 does indeed exist and has taken some actions, and the Open AI Startup Fund has also invested in several startups.
"Low-profile" Operational Style
This accelerator program is quite different from the usual hype in the tech industry. Typically, accelerators would announce the startups they accept or graduate, as they have every reason to boost these companies' success chances through public recognition after investing. But Converge2 is an exception; it has remained silent, leaving the outside world guessing.
Converge2's silence contrasts sharply with Converge1. Converge1 operated in the typical accelerator style at the beginning of 2023, publicly announcing the first four investments. But with Converge2, OpenAI has not issued any press releases about the companies that received investments, even after multiple requests for comments, refusing to confirm whether the program is underway.
The reason behind this silence remains a mystery. Although the communication for Converge1 was also quite low-key, companies involved like Cursor.AI were gradually revealed.
From the beginning of 2023 to today, as OpenAI seeks a new round of funding with a valuation of up to $100 billion, the world's attention on it has grown. During this period, the fund even changed owners, with Sam Altman being replaced by another venture capitalist, Ian Hathaway.
However, the fund's activities have not been affected. Since January, the fund has invested in several new companies, such as the AI chatbot Heeyo, the health company Thrive AI Health, the AI chatbot New Computer, and Ambience Healthcare, which creates AI assistants for medical organizations. At least two companies, according to sources, have participated in the Converge program, although they不愿透露具体是哪些公司，以免引起OpenAI的不满。
As for the details of the program, information is even scarcer. One insider told us that the main benefit is access to OpenAI's researchers and unreleased model technologies. This access might lead people to believe that these companies are bound by strict NDAs, as Vox recently reported, OpenAI likes to use this tool on its employees.
Key Points:
- 🕵️♂️ Mystery Accelerator: The enigmatic nature of the Converge2 program, why the silence?
- 💸 Funding Dynamics: The investment trends of the Open AI Startup Fund, and the new companies involved.
- 🤖 Technology Access: What unreleased technologies can participants access from OpenAI?