Yann LeCun, the AI godfather and former chief AI scientist at Meta, is officially getting into venture capital. He and Oriol Vinyals, previously a co-lead on Google's Gemini project, are joining 224 Ventures, a newly formed AI investment firm. The fund is already managing more than $100 million in assets, and it's being run by Shaun Johnson, founder of AIX Ventures.
224 is focused on early-stage AI companies, with a thesis spanning AI applications, robotics, infrastructure, and model technology. Individual checks are expected to range from $1 million to $5 million, targeting startups valued below $100 million. The fund typically plans to co-invest rather than lead.
The firm's core early-stage fund is targeting $81 million, and has pulled in more than $30 million so far. The current $100 million-plus under management also includes money that was previously directed into growth-stage AI companies through separate special purpose vehicles. Once the core fund closes, 224's total assets under management are expected to be at least $150 million.
LeCun will continue to focus on AMI Labs as his main gig, while Vinyals has also launched his own AI company, Discovery Loop. The two will help source deals, assess technology, and vote on investments, while Johnson runs day-to-day operations. The firm's LPs are mostly from the AI industry: researchers, tech executives, and founders.