Reflection AI, an emerging AI startup founded by former DeepMind researchers, has recently raised $2 billion in a Series B funding round. This investment has propelled the company’s valuation to a striking $8 billion. The funding was led by Nvidia and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Additionally, the round saw contributions from renowned firms like Sequoia Capital and Citi, as well as investment from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
This funding round stands out as one of the largest private investments in an AI company this year, reflecting a growing confidence among investors in the development of autonomous software agents and open-source frontier models.
Launched in 2024 by visionaries Misha Laskin and Ioannis Antonoglou, Reflection AI has swiftly made a name for itself with an ambitious mission: to create intelligent agents capable of reasoning over entire software systems and performing complex tasks independently.
Their flagship product, Asimov, debuted in July 2025 and is designed not just to offer code suggestions but to function as a comprehensive collaborator in software engineering. Asimov’s capabilities include interpreting documentation, refactoring codebases, and suggesting architectural modifications—tasks that are typically managed by senior developers.
The $2 billion funding will be instrumental in scaling Reflection AI’s infrastructure, expanding its team of researchers, and speeding up the release of its pioneering language model, which is currently being trained on tens of trillions of tokens. A key part of their strategy involves open-sourcing this model, positioning Reflection AI as a viable competitor to established players like OpenAI and Anthropic that rely on closed-source systems.
Reflection AI’s rapid growth aligns with a broader transformation within the AI sector. Investors are increasingly optimistic about “agentic AI”—intelligent systems that can engage in multi-step reasoning and undertake independent actions. This emergent focus signifies a shift beyond the capabilities of chatbots and simple copilots, positioning Reflection AI to target the highly valuable domain of software engineering, where automation has the potential to significantly enhance productivity while cutting costs.
Notably, the company has attracted attention due in part to its political connections. The inclusion of 1789 Capital, a private equity firm associated with Donald Trump Jr., signals a possible alignment with emerging regulatory frameworks that advocate for domestic AI development and open-source transparency. Although Reflection AI has not released an official statement on its political affiliations, its commitment to open models and agentic autonomy corresponds with recent calls from policymakers for enhanced accountability and decentralized approaches in AI systems.
The remarkable leap in Reflection AI’s valuation—from $545 million in its prior funding round to $8 billion—shows the intense level of investor interest in the company. Its growth trajectory mirrors that of other successful AI startups; however, its specific focus on autonomous agents sets it apart from the competition.
