Cambridge‑based Cusp AI has secured a $400 million round that values the firm at $2.6 billion, a leap from the $100 million raise in September 2023. Investors include Jeff Bezos’s family office, Bezos Expeditions, and Kleiner Perkins. The deal, signed in term sheets, is still pending closure but signals growing confidence in AI‑driven materials discovery.

Founded in 2024 by Chad Edwards and Max Welling, Cusp AI offers a search‑engine platform that trains AI models to invent molecules with properties suited to sustainable energy and next‑generation AI compute. Earlier talks hinted at a $200 million raise at a unicorn valuation, underscoring rapid scaling for investors worldwide today.

The round adds to a roster of European AI‑materials firms such as Altrove, Dunia Innovations, and Molecular Quantum Solutions. Cusp AI’s board features Meta’s former chief AI scientist Yann Le Cun and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, lending credibility to its ambitious material‑finding agenda for startups seeking disruptive breakthroughs in the sector.

With its valuation now at $2.6 billion, Cusp AI positions itself as a leader in the AI‑materials niche, attracting top‑tier investors and thought leaders. The funding will accelerate research, expand its AI model library, and potentially unlock new high‑performance materials for energy and computing applications for industry stakeholders worldwide by 2026.