Thinking Machines Stock: Ponder Twice You Buy
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Table of Contents
Notable Thinking Machines News
09/03/2026: Nvidia in Talks to Invest in Thinking Machines
07/15/2026: Inkling – Our Open-Weights Model
10/01/2025: Mira Murati’s AI Lab Launches First Product
10/01/2025: Announcing Tinker
Older news…
About Thinking Machines
Thinking Machines Lab is an AI startup that helps users customize models to fit their specific needs. It was started in early 2025 by Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI.
She recruited talented researchers from OpenAI and other top labs, and immediately attracted huge financial backing early on, even before building a product.
The primary Thinking Machines product is Tinker, a service that lets researchers and businesses fine-tune open-weight models on their own data without the heavy computational overhead of AI processing.
The lab has also released Inkling, an open-weight AI language model.
The company is headquartered in San Francisco. It competes with giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, Alphabet, and SpaceXSI, but it differentiates itself by building tailored models for enterprises instead of one-size-fits-all chatbots.
If demand for customized AI models continues to grow, Thinking Machines has the potential to be a leading pure-play U.S.-based AI company that public investors would like to see IPO.
Ownership
Thinking Machines is a venture-backed startup owned by its founders, employees (especially the early group recruited away from leading labs), and a small list of venture capital firms and public companies.
Notable venture capital investors include Lightspeed, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems, NVIDIA, ServiceNow, Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, Jane Street, Conviction, and the Government of Albania.
Funding Rounds
| Round | Date | Est. Valuation | Raise Amount | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series A | 09/02/26 | $41.0B | $1.0B | NA |
| Strategic | 03/09/26 | NA | NA | NA |
| Seed | 07/15/25 | $12.0B | $2.0B | $288.24 |
| Source: Caplight |
Valuation
As of Q4 206, Thinking Machines is widely reported to be raising capital in a Series A at a $40 billion valuation.
The last confirmed Thinking Machines valuation is $12 billion based on the Seed round that closed in July 2025.
IPO Potential
Thinking Machines is still a relatively new company, so it is likely several years away from an IPO.
AI startups are happy to take venture capital money and watch their valuations grow privately rather than go public at an early stage in their lifecycle.
Anthropic has set the new standard for private AI growth, from founding to IPO in close to six years. If others follow, we could see a wave of AI IPOs in the coming years.
But Thinking Machines management is focused on growth, and retail investors will need to invest pre-IPO if they wish to gain access to equity vs. waiting for an IPO.
An S-1 filing is the most accurate sign that an IPO may be forthcoming. The intent to move forward with an IPO is usually leaked to the press long before the S-1 filing becomes available to the public.
How to Invest in Thinking Machines Stock
Thinking Machines is a venture-backed startup with high demand from top-tier venture capital firms. When demand for this kind of company surges, ordinary investors may struggle to find opportunities to invest.
With a growing valuation, secondary marketplaces and syndicates may soon see units available if the company is open to expanding its investor base.
Here are some potential options to own Thinking Machines stock before, during, and after the IPO.
1. Invest Pre-IPO
Pre-IPO investment platforms may offer Thinking Machines stock for purchase as employees or early investors seek to sell some of their shares before the Thinking Machines IPO.
Accredited investors may access shares, provided they are registered on the platform and receive notifications about their availability.
Furthermore, company management must approve these types of transactions, and highly funded startups are often advised against this.
Monitor pre-IPO investing platforms such as Augment, EquityZen, Nasdaq Private Markets, Forge Global, and Clarity for share availability. Check out the list of best pre-IPO invest platforms.
If shares become available, expect to pay at least a $10,000 investment minimum, often more.
Non-accredited investors can invest in pre-IPO companies via venture capital funds targeted at retail investors.
2. Participate in the Thinking Machines IPO through a broker
When a company like Thinking Machines eventually goes public, ordinary investors can sometimes buy the stock during the IPO.
As a multi-decacorn, there will likely be enough shares to go around for retail in the event of an IPO.
Some online brokers (listed below) allow investors to invest in IPOs for free, even if they have limited funds in their accounts.
Here’s the complete list of the best brokers for IPO investing to learn more about IPO access for retail investors.
3. Buy Thinking Machines stock after the IPO
Many retail and institutional investors will find themselves in a waiting game, eager to dive into investment opportunities that won’t materialize until after the IPO.
Waiting for the IPO has advantages, such as access to more established financials after the first quarter of trading. Pre-IPO investing has limited financials.
High-demand IPOs often experience inflated valuations at first. Investors can benefit by selling near the peak, but they may face losses if they hold while prices return to more rational levels.
IPOs typically start with high valuations, but stock prices can decline after the first and second-quarter earnings reports reveal significant numbers and trends.
Price declines can provide excellent entry points for long-term investors. But avoid buying overvalued shares immediately after the IPO, especially during lockup expirations and following earnings disappointments.
However, the most disruptive companies tend to perform better over a decade, so patience is essential for long-term bulls.
Conclusion
Thinking Machines is a private AI company that helps enterprises customize and fine-tune open models based on their own data and operations. The list of venture investors indicates that serious money is long on the business model.
Ordinary investors will likely struggle to buy shares today, despite rapidly rising valuations. A near-term (two to three years) IPO is unlikely, as private funding is readily available and management is focused on growth rather than preparing operations for Wall Street scrutiny.
Two of its investors, Nvidia and AMD, also make the microchips the company thrives on, so its success — like that of many early-stage AI companies — is tied closely to the supply of computing power and ability to scale while controlling costs.
The clearest sign that a listing is coming is an S-1 filing, so check the company’s own announcements and official filings. We’ll likely hear reports of a planned IPO months before the deal.
Investors who want to own a stake in Thinking Machines can monitor secondary marketplaces for availability, but be prepared to move quickly on opportunities, as access is in high demand.
Thinking Machines News Archive
07/15/2025: Thinking Machines Lab is worth $12B in seed round
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Craig Stephens founded Access IPOs in 2016 to help ordinary investors explore IPO and pre-IPO opportunities. He also manages the Access Club, a membership community for IPO and startup investors. Craig studied Finance at Michigan State University and lives in Northern Virginia. Learn more about Craig.
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