Stripe to Acquire AI Gateway Startup OpenRouter for Over $7B

Stripe has finalized a deal to acquire OpenRouter, a company that helps customers select different AI models for various tasks based on their needs and budget, according to a new report in Bloomberg. OpenRouter, which had raised a $113 million Series B in May at a reported $1.3 billion valuation, has seen its value skyrocket in just over a year. The round was backed by prominent investors including Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures, and Alphabet’s Capital G. At the time, CEO Alex Atallah described the company as the equivalent of Stripe for AI, offering a single access point to multiple models and preventing vendor lock-in. OpenRouter also claimed to have 8 million global users and access to over 400 models. Talks between Stripe and OpenRouter were first reported by The Wall Street Journal last month, and Bloomberg now indicates that these discussions have culminated in a deal valued at more than $7 billion. This acquisition would mark a significant expansion for Stripe into the AI infrastructure space, aligning with its existing payment and commerce ecosystem. A Stripe spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company does not comment on rumors or speculation.

via TechCrunch AI