Interest in the artificial intelligence industry continues to grow among investors. Thanks to this, the value of several AI startups has increased exponentially in recent years through investment rounds. Perplexity AI has been one of the firms that benefited the most thanks to its success in the segment. Now, a report reveals that Perplexity plans to increase its total valuation to $18 billion.
As reported by Reuters, the Perplexity board is currently in talks with potential partners to conduct a new funding round. The company expects to raise between $500 million and $1 billion during the round. This could value Perplexity at $18 billion. For reference, the AI-focused company had an approximate valuation of $9 billion in November 2024. Therefore, we could see its value double in just a few months.
A new funding round could bring up to $1 billion to Perplexity, raising its valuation to $18 billion
It’s no surprise that Perplexity is generating a lot of interest among artificial intelligence enthusiasts and technology investors. The firm has been making significant moves in recent months. The most recent was the announcement of a partnership with Deutsche Telekom to work on an “AI phone.” The device will be unveiled this year and is expected to hit the market in 2026.
In February, the company launched Comet, a web browser that offers AI-powered tools to assist you and improve your navigation—even proactively. That same month also saw the arrival of Perplexity’s Deep Research tool, which, to date, is the most generous with free users of AI chatbots. In January, the startup launched an Android app with “agentic” features that wants to replace Gemini on your Android phone.
Perplexity has even been among the bidders to acquire TikTok in the US. Furthermore, the firm is a direct competitor to Google in the Mountain View giant’s plans to launch an AI-powered search engine.
As you can see, Perplexity has several fronts in the works, and many of these announcements have been made in recent months. The company has attracted the interest of investors such as Jeff Bezos—founder of Amazon.com—and SoftBank Group.
