While palace intrigue may dominate the current news cycle surrounding OpenAI, the AI startup and its co-branded accelerator programs continue to operate smoothly, as conveyed by the PR team.
The OpenAI Startup Fund, a distinct entity despite the potential confusion, has officially launched Converge-2, the second installment of its six-week Converge program. This program targets “exceptional engineers, designers, researchers, and product builders utilizing AI to envision a transformed world,” as detailed in a blog post released this morning.
Similar to the initial Converge cohort, the 10-15 selected startups for Converge-2 will receive a $1 million equity investment from the OpenAI Startup Fund. This fund, exceeding $100 million, was announced in May with backing from Microsoft and other partners. Doing the math, the investment in the Converge-2 program totals at least $10 million, a substantial amount.
Beyond financial support, Converge-2 participants will enjoy access to tech talks, office hours, social events, and discussions with “leading practitioners” and the OpenAI Startup Fund’s “community of builders.” Notably, participants are not obligated to build on top of OpenAI’s APIs; the program is open to “anyone building or aspiring to build with AI,” although the attractiveness of OpenAI’s technologies is expected to create network effects.
The OpenAI Startup Fund actively encourages founders from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and experience levels, including those outside the U.S., to apply. Previous experience with AI systems is not a prerequisite. However, selected startups must commit at least four to six hours per week to the program from March 11 to April 19, with the first and last week taking place in San Francisco (travel costs will be covered by the OpenAI Startup Fund
