Stripe’s multi-billion-dollar pursuit of AI model marketplace startup OpenRouter isn’t just creating one of the biggest AI acquisitions of the year; it’s minting venture capital firms’ speedy wins.
Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures are poised to turn investments made less than two years ago into payouts worth nearly $2 billion combined if Stripe acquires the AI model marketplace for more than $8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
Andreessen, Menlo, and OpenRouter did not respond for comment. Stripe declined to comment.
OpenRouter helps developers direct their tasks to different AI models. The startup also monitors for overspend and quickly resolves outages — and they’re seeing a gigantic surge in demand. The company says it has over 10 million users.
OpenRouter’s cofounder and CEO is Alex Atallah, who also co-founded…
