Andy Konwinski, co-founder of Databricks and Perplexity AI, has launched the Laude Institute, a new AI research organization backed by a $100 million personal investment, to drive beneficial AI research and development.
The Laude Institute has already begun assembling a team of experts, including prominent AI researchers Chris Rytting, K. Tighe, Justin Fiedler, and Lindsey Gregory. Its board of directors comprises luminaries such as David Patterson, a Turing Award recipient, Jeff Dean, the Chief Scientist at Google DeepMind, and Joelle Pineau, previously the head of AI research at Meta Platforms Inc. Konwinski described the Laude Institute as “the most personal project of my life, and it’s been a long time coming,” highlighting his deep personal investment in this initiative.
The institute is launching with two distinct programs: Slingshots and Moonshots. The Slingshots program provides small, rapid-response grants to early-stage AI projects in collaboration with Stanford University researchers. It has already backed a new benchmark for AI agents designed to automate business workflows, which was referenced by Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei during the launch of their latest large language model, Claude 4.
The Moonshots program will provide larger grants to AI research laboratories addressing complex challenges such as healthcare, workforce reskilling, scientific discovery, and civic discourse. Konwinski plans to award two seed grants of $250,000 in each of these categories, aiming to drive groundbreaking research in these vital sectors.
In addition to these programs, the Laude Institute will make targeted investments in “foundational work” to advance the broader computing industry. It has already provided a substantial grant to the newly established AI Systems Lab at the University of California at Berkeley, pledging $3 million annually for five years. The lab will be led by prominent AI researchers and computer scientists, including Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia, Konwinski’s co-founders from Databricks.
Konwinski emphasized that the Laude Institute aims to “catalyze work that doesn’t just push the field forward but guides it towards more beneficial outcomes.” He stated, “We help get ideas out of the lab and into the world by giving the right resources to the right researchers at the right time.” The institute’s goal is to facilitate the transition of theoretical research into tangible, real-world impact, with Konwinski noting, “For years, I’ve wanted to build something that would help more researchers take that journey from idea to impact. Our goal is simple: get more world-changing research into people’s hands.”
Konwinski’s track record in the AI and tech industry lends credibility to the Laude Institute. He co-founded Databricks, which has become a dominant force in the AI landscape, and Perplexity AI, a generative AI search engine valued at $14 billion. He also established Laude Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage startups, which operates as a “sister organization” to the Laude Institute.
The Laude Institute is characterized by its philanthropic mission, prioritizing projects that promise broad societal benefits over financial returns. This approach underscores Konwinski’s commitment to both commercial innovation and the advancement of AI for the public good, positioning the Laude Institute as a significant player in the global effort to develop artificial intelligence responsibly.
