Jan 13, 2026 - Business

Exclusive: webAI is now valued at over $2.5 billion

Dan Primack

Illustration of a unicorn horn sticking out of a pile of cash. — Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

WebAI, an Austin, Texas-based sovereign AI platform, raised "high double-digit" millions of dollars at a $2.5 billion pre-money valuation, it tells Axios.

Why it matters: The idea is to run AI directly on devices, bypassing the cloud, for the sake of increased privacy, performance, and energy efficiency.

Zoom in: WebAI began with corporate customers like Oura but has since expanded into the public sector and plans to launch its own consumer-facing app.

"We want AI to run as close to where data is generated as possible, without having to rely on the cloud or a WiFi connection," explains David Stout, the company's founder and CEO.

Zoom in: Marc Benioff's Time Ventures and Atreides Management were joined on the Series A extension round by return backers like Forerunner Ventures.

Look ahead: Expect webAI to raise a larger Series B round within the next quarter.

Add Axios on Google

Exclusive: webAI is now valued at over $2.5 billion

What to read next