By Stanford University's famous AI professorFei-Fei LiThe company founded byFinancing.
According to information obtained by TechCrunch from multiple sources familiar with the matter,World LabsThe latest round of funding, led by NEA, values the company at more than $1 billion. The $100 million round was previously reported by the Financial Times in July.
In contrast, World Labs was valued at just $200 million in its first round of funding in April, with investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Canadian firm Radical Ventures, of which Li is a scientific partner, Reuters reported in May.
World Labs was reportedly founded in April this year and reached a unicorn valuation in just four months, showing that investors continue to invest large sums in startups founded by well-known AI scientists, even if their business models are unproven.
World Labs aims to create AI models that can accurately estimate the three-dimensional physical properties of real-world objects and environments, thereby enabling detailed digital replication without the need for extensive data collection. This goal may be crucial in the current AI-driven world being built frantically by Silicon Valley, but it is also extremely challenging.
Fei-Fei Li, widely hailed as the "godmother of AI," discussed how to train machines to develop human-like "spatial intelligence" in a TED talk earlier this year.
“There is very little 3D data that exists in the world,” said one investor familiar with World Labs’ approach. “Self-driving car companies collect this data by driving thousands of miles, which they then use to train their machines. But in other applications, like serving coffee, there is no 3D data at all. And it’s expensive to collect this data because of the sheer number of scenarios for which it needs to be collected.”
The rapid rise of World Labs reflects several important trends in the field of AI:
Famous scientists are sought after for their startups: Fei-Fei Li's reputation has obviously attracted a lot of investment to World Labs.
Importance of three-dimensional data: With the development of technologies such as AR/VR and autonomous driving, the demand for three-dimensional data is increasing.
Diversification of AI models: In addition to language models, investors are also paying attention to other types of AI models, such as the spatial intelligence model that World Labs focuses on.
The speed of financing has accelerated: it took only four months from establishment to valuation exceeding US$1 billion, reflecting the investment enthusiasm in the AI field.
Commercialization challenges: Despite the high valuation, World Labs' business model still needs time to be verified.
Although World Labs' specific products and business plans remain under wraps, its rapid financing and high valuation demonstrate investors' great confidence in the potential of 3D AI technology. As the company further develops, we look forward to seeing how this technology changes the way we interact with the digital world and its specific applications in various industries.