Flapping Airplanes Raises $1 Billion at $6 Billion Valuation

Oct 21, 2026
Flapping Airplanes raised $1 billion in a round led by Index Ventures and Lux Capital. The AI research startup is developing methods to train models with less data and computing power.

Flapping Airplanes raised $1 billion at a $6 billion valuation, according to Bloomberg. The financing was led by Index Ventures and Lux Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Alphabet's GV and Kleiner Perkins.

The valuation includes the new capital and is four times the valuation from the startup's January round. Flapping Airplanes was founded in late 2025 and has not introduced commercial products.

The company is researching methods to train AI models with less data and computing power. It is also working to improve the efficiency of chips used to develop and run models.

"The basic thesis is demand for AI is going to outpace chip and data supply," co-founder Asher Spector told Bloomberg. He said getting 10% more performance out of each chip would be "tremendously economically valuable."

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