**From Open-Source to $800M Valuation: vLLM Transitions to Inferact, Secures $150M in Funding – Wow, What a Ride!**
I’m still reeling from the news that the creators of open-source project vLLM have just turned it into a VC-backed startup called Inferact, and to make it even more mind-blowing, they’ve landed a whopping $150 million in seed funding at an $800 million valuation! I mean, that’s just crazy, right?
The funding round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Enterprise Partners, which confirms TechCrunch’s earlier reporting that vLLM has indeed raised capital from a16z. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, to be honest. It’s like a wild rollercoaster ride, and I’m excited to dive into the details.
**The Rise of Inferact – It’s a Big Deal!**
Inferact’s debut is reminiscent of the commercialization of SGLang, which, as we reported on Wednesday, secured capital at a $400 million valuation led by Accel. It’s clear that investors are taking notice of the growing importance of deploying AI models in applications, rather than just training them.
As the main focus in AI shifts from training models to deploying them in applications, technologies like vLLM and SGLang that make these AI tools run faster and more affordably are attracting investor attention. And Inferact is right at the forefront of this trend.
**A New Era in AI – Exciting Times Ahead!**
Both vLLM and SGLang were incubated in 2023 at the UC Berkeley lab of Databricks co-founder Ion Stoica. And now, as Inferact CEO Simon Mo, one of the mission’s original creators, told Bloomberg, the company is already working with big names like Amazon’s cloud service and the popular shopping app.
I’m excited to see where Inferact goes from here, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on this young startup’s progress. With $150 million in funding and an $800 million valuation, Inferact is definitely one to watch in the world of AI.
**What Do You Think? – Share Your Thoughts!**
So, what do you think about Inferact’s funding round? Are you as blown away as I am? Let me know in the comments!
