Chamath Palihapitiya, the enterprise capitalist who constructed a fame putting large, loud bets throughout tech and crypto, has gone again to the operator’s chair. His AI-native software program improvement firm, 8090, simply closed a $135 million Sequence A led by Salesforce Ventures.
What 8090 truly does
The corporate calls itself an “AI Software program Manufacturing facility,” which appears like advertising fluff till you have a look at the goal prospects. 8090 is constructed for giant enterprises in closely regulated sectors: healthcare, insurance coverage, aerospace. The platform makes use of AI to design, construct, refactor, and modernize advanced software program methods. Crucially, it maintains audit trails and compliance documentation all through the method.
The identify itself is a thesis assertion. 8090 originated from a self-funded incubator idea centered on delivering 80% feature-complete software program at 90% decrease price.
Palihapitiya incubated the idea roughly 18 months in the past, and the corporate now stories destructive churn amongst its buyer base. Detrimental churn means current prospects aren’t simply sticking round, they’re increasing their utilization quicker than any accounts are leaving.
The traders and the economics
Salesforce Ventures led the spherical, with participation from WndrCo, Craft Ventures, and The Manufacturing Board.
Palihapitiya has been candid about the associated fee curve. He just lately famous that AI bills at 8090 have tripled since late 2025, with projections indicating they might exceed $10 million yearly.