Stripe to acquire AI gateway startup OpenRouter for over $7B, report says
According to a Bloomberg report, payments company Stripe has finalized a deal to acquire AI startup OpenRouter at a valuation exceeding $7 billion. A Stripe spokesperson declined to comment on the speculation.
Payments company Stripe has reportedly finalized a deal to acquire AI startup OpenRouter in a transaction valued at more than $7 billion, according to a new Bloomberg report.
OpenRouter allows customers to choose between different AI models depending on the specific task and their budget. The company's CEO, Alex Atallah, has previously described OpenRouter as a kind of "Stripe for AI," since it gives customers a single access point to various AI systems and helps them avoid being locked into one provider.
Prior funding round
In May, OpenRouter announced it had raised a $113 million Series B round, valuing the company at a reported $1.3 billion. Investors in that round included Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures, and Alphabet's investment arm CapitalG.
The startup has said it serves around 8 million users worldwide and provides access to more than 400 different AI models.
Talks spanned several months
Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Stripe and OpenRouter were engaged in acquisition talks. Bloomberg now reports that those discussions have resulted in an agreed deal price exceeding $7 billion.
A Stripe spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company does not comment on rumors or speculation regarding such deals.
