OpenAI has confirmed that it has acquired Hiro Finance (a startup specializing in providing financial planning solutions based on artificial intelligence). However, the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. While Hiro Finance has also never announced the amount of capital raised before.
According to the plan, Hiro Finance will stop operating on April 20 and delete all user data on May 13. While the entire team of this company (about 10 people) will join OpenAI.
Founded in 2023, Hiro Finance launched the product only about 5 months before being acquired. This application allows users to enter data such as monthly income, debt and spending, thereby simulating different financial scenarios.
The highlight of Hiro Finance is its ability to provide "if" situations, helping users visualize the impact of future financial decisions.
This technology is deeply trained in financial mathematics, allowing checking the accuracy of calculations.
In the context of AI models increasingly improving computing capabilities, tools like Hiro Finance are assessed as having great potential in supporting individuals to manage finances more effectively.
This deal is not the first time OpenAI has targeted the financial sector. Previously, the company promoted ChatGPT as a tool to support corporate financial groups.
The addition of staff from Hiro Finance shows that OpenAI may want to develop more specialized financial applications in the future, although the specific plan has not been announced.
This move may also be related to attracting users in the automated transaction community, where AI tools are playing an increasingly important role.
Founder Hiro Finance - Ethan Bloch is not a strange name in the fintech field. Before Hiro, he founded Digit, a digital bank that helps users automatically save money. This company was later sold to Oportun for more than 200 million USD.
Mr. Ethan Bloch also revealed that Hiro Finance is his 15th startup. Previously, he had experienced many failures, with the first 13 unsuccessful projects. However, he sold Flowtown (which is a SaaS social network tool) for $4.5 million before achieving greater success with Digit.
Joining OpenAI this time is considered the next step in Ethan Bloch's journey, as he continues to pursue AI applications in the financial field.
Experts believe that the OpenAI - Hiro Finance deal reflects the trend of AI increasingly penetrating deeply into the personal finance sector.
As users are increasingly interested in optimizing spending and investment, smart tools can become popular financial assistants.
However, Hiro Finance's closure and data deletion also raises questions about the sustainability of small startups in the AI race, as well as how technology giants attract and integrate talent.
