Stripe agrees to buy AI model marketplace OpenRouter in $7 billion deal
Stripe has sealed a purchase of OpenRouter, the AI gateway startup, for a price exceeding $7 billion.
Stripe announced the finalization of a deal to acquire OpenRouter, a startup that provides a single interface for selecting from more than 400 AI models. OpenRouter, which disclosed a $113 million Series B funding round that valued it at $1.3 billion, said it serves roughly 8 million users globally. Its founder and CEO Alex Atallah described the company as the "Stripe for AI," emphasizing its role in preventing lock-in by aggregating multiple model providers.
The acquisition follows earlier reports that the two firms were negotiating, with Bloomberg now reporting a purchase price of over $7 billion. Investors in OpenRouter include Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures and Alphabet’s Capital G. When asked for comment, a Stripe representative said the company does not comment on rumors or speculation.
Why it matters
The deal gives Stripe a major foothold in the fast-growing AI services market.
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