OpenAI is the majority owner of new venture
OpenAI is launching the OpenAI Deployment Company, a new entity designed to help organisations build and deploy AI systems across their most important work, the company said in a press statement.
The new company is a partnership between OpenAI and 19 global investment firms, consultancies and system integrators, and is majority-owned and controlled by OpenAI.
DeployCo launches with over $4 billion
DeployCo launches with $4 billion of investment at a $10 billion pre-money valuation, with OpenAI retaining majority control. Investors get a guaranteed minimum 17.5% return and have profits capped.
The partnership is led by TPG, with Advent, Bain Capital, and Brookfield as co-lead founding partners, and B Capital, BBVA, Emergence Capital, Goanna, Goldman Sachs, SoftBank Corp., Warburg Pincus, and WCAS as founding partners. Investors also include leading consulting and systems integration firms, including Bain & Company, Capgemini, and McKinsey & Company.
OpenAI acquires Tomoro to staff the new company
OpenAI agreed to acquire Tomoro, an AI-focused consulting startup founded in 2023 that had already been working closely with OpenAI on enterprise deployments. The company built a reputation for helping businesses move beyond pilot AI projects and implement generative AI systems at scale. Tomoro’s client list includes major global brands like Mattel, Tesco, Virgin Atlantic, Red Bull, and mobile gaming company Supercell.
The acquisition will bring approximately 150 experienced Forward Deployed Engineers and Deployment Specialists to the OpenAI Deployment Company from the start.
Engineers embedded inside client organisations
Instead of simply offering access to models through APIs and software subscriptions, OpenAI plans to work directly with clients by embedding specialised engineers inside organisations.
These engineers, called Forward Deployed Engineers, will work closely with business leaders, operators, and frontline teams to identify where AI can make the biggest impact, redesign organisational infrastructure and critical workflows around it, and turn those gains into durable systems.
Legacy consulting firms funding their own disruption
Three blue-blood consultancies — Bain & Company, Capgemini, and McKinsey — are among DeployCo’s investors. The generous interpretation is that the trio will gain a deeper understanding of OpenAI’s capabilities and roadmap, which they can then share with clients. The more cynical interpretation is that OpenAI somehow convinced these legacy firms to help fund their own disintermediation. Goldman Sachs is the only backer of both DeployCo and a comparable effort from Anthropic.
OpenAI CRO on the enterprise opportunity
“AI is becoming capable of doing increasingly meaningful work inside organisations. The challenge now is helping companies integrate these systems into the infrastructure and workflows that power their businesses. DeployCo is designed to help organisations bridge that gap and turn AI capability into real operational impact,” said OpenAI Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser.
OpenAI will use the $4 billion in initial investment to scale operations and acquire firms that can accelerate the mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.
