AI researcher Richard Socher is in talks to raise a large funding round for his new startup — Recursive. The proposed financing would set the valuation at roughly $4B before the new capital is added, the report says.
Recursive is said to be seeking several hundred million dollars, though the talks are still ongoing and the terms could change.
Investors involved in the discussions include GV, formerly known as Google Ventures, and Greycroft, both of which are in talks to lead the round, the people said. However, the discussions are private and at an early stage.
The company is exploring approaches aimed at so-called superintelligence, an industry term commonly used to describe AI systems that could outperform humans across a wide range of tasks.
Several major tech players, including OpenAI and Meta Platforms, are also investing heavily in this direction.
The startup has eight cofounders, including Socher, who is widely known for his early work in natural language processing, a field focused on helping computers understand and generate human language. He previously served as Salesforce’s chief scientist and remains a prominent voice in AI research.
Alongside Recursive, Socher currently leads AI-powered search company You.com, which was most recently valued at $1.5bn. He is also a cofounder of AIX Ventures, an investment firm focused on artificial intelligence startups.
The fundraising talks underscore continued investor appetite for AI labs led by well-known researchers, even as funding across the broader tech sector becomes more selective.
