The article discusses a $25 million investment by The House Fund, a venture capital firm, in Perplexity, an artificial intelligence research group at the University of California, Berkeley. Perplexity is led by professors Michael Jordan and Anant Sahai, and focuses on developing new AI models and techniques. The investment aims to support Perplexity’s research and help commercialize its technologies through spin-off companies. The House Fund believes that academic research groups like Perplexity are crucial for driving innovation in AI, and that their work can lead to breakthroughs with significant commercial potential. The fund plans to work closely with Perplexity to identify promising research and help translate it into practical applications and startups. This investment highlights the growing interest and investment in academic AI research from the venture capital community.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-house-fund-uc-berkeley-perplexity-databricks-2024-10