Beta Silicon Valley AI Brief - OpenAI Superintelligence, Google announces $120M fund

Today’s Insights

Events: Beta x Techstars, Lerer Hippeau, Emerson Collective: Key VC events focused on startups, seed-stage, and purpose-driven investments.

News: OpenAI & Jony Ive: Teaming up to create a new AI device with $1B in funding; Google Launches $120M fund for global AI education; Amazon Releases AI-powered video and image tools for ads.

Tools: Otto, Magic Inspector, SuperFlex, Marblism, Bolna – boosting productivity across tasks.

🔥 We are hosting the following events

• Beta x Techstars (one of the most active accelerators) RSVP

• Beta x Lerer Hippeau (seed-stage VC investing enterprise and consumer sectors) RSVP

• Beta x Emerson Collective (invests in purpose-driven entrepreneurs & innovators taking big swings) RSVP

💡 Things we pay attention to

OpenAI is working on an AI device startup with former Apple employees

• Jony Ive, a former Apple designer, is working on a new AI-based startup with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

• Ive’s firm, LoveFrom, is leading the design, aiming to create a less socially disruptive computing experience than the iPhone.

• The startup is fundraising, targeting up to $1 billion, with contributions from Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective and Ive himself.

  Google CEO Sundar Pichai announces $120M fund for global AI education

• Sundar Pichai described AI as the "most transformative technology yet" at the UN Summit of the Future, highlighting AI's role in language access, scientific discovery, climate disaster alerts, and economic growth.

• Google is creating a $120 million Global AI Opportunity Fund to support AI education and training worldwide, in partnership with nonprofits.

  Amazon releases a video generator — but only for ads

• Amazon unveiled an AI-powered Video Generator for advertisers, turning product images into short 6-9 second videos with customizable features like text, music, and logos. It's currently in beta for select U.S. advertisers and aims to enhance ad creativity with generative AI.

• Alongside, Amazon introduced live image, which generates animated GIFs from still frames, further expanding its AI-driven ad tools. Both features are part of Amazon’s efforts to deliver visually engaging, high-performing ads.

  Grok’s image generator, Black Forest Labs, is raising $100M at a $1B valuation, say sources

• Black Forest Labs, founded by former Stability AI engineers, is reportedly closing a $100 million funding round, valuing the company at $1 billion. The company specializes in generative AI image models, with clients like Elon Musk's X.ai using their Flux.1 model.

• The startup previously raised $31 million and has attracted investors such as Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst. Its rapid growth highlights investor interest in AI startups, particularly in foundational model development.

🏆 30-day AI to Profit Challenge

🧰 Tools worth trying

• Otto - Use AI agents within tables to automate hours of manual research in a few minutes.

• Magic Inspector - Build reliable, automated tests without any technical knowledge.

• SuperFlex - Your front-end development assistant.

• Marblism - Generate full-stack web apps from a prompt.

• Zivy - Automatically prioritize and organize Slack messages.

• Bolna - 24x7 AI receptionists to answer all inbound calls.