OpenAI has issued a warning about unauthorized investment opportunities that claim to offer exposure to the company. The warning specifically highlights special purpose vehicles, known as SPVs, as one method being used. The company urges the public to be cautious if contacted by any firm that purports to have access to OpenAI equity through the sale of an SPV interest.
While the blog post acknowledges that not every offer of OpenAI equity is problematic, it states that some firms may be attempting to circumvent its transfer restrictions. The company makes it clear that any such unauthorized sale will not be recognized and will carry no economic value for the purchaser.
This warning comes as investors have increasingly used SPVs, which pool money for one-off investments, as a way to buy into popular AI startups. This trend has prompted criticism from other venture capitalists, who have labeled such SPV investments as a vehicle for inexperienced investors.
According to reports, OpenAI is not the only major AI company looking to crack down on this practice. Anthropic has also reportedly told Menlo Ventures that it must use its own capital, not an SPV, to invest in an upcoming funding round.