OpenAI has purchased Hiro, a startup focused on AI-driven personal finance solutions.

      Hiro will be shutting down on April 20 and will delete all user data by May 13. Founder Ethan Bloch had previously sold Digit to Oportun for over $200 million, though the details of that transaction were not revealed.

      OpenAI, the AI lab in San Francisco known for ChatGPT, has acquired Hiro Finance, a startup focused on AI-driven personal finance planning. Ethan Bloch and his team will be joining OpenAI, as announced by Bloch on LinkedIn, with OpenAI confirming the acquisition.

      The specific terms of the deal have not been disclosed, and Hiro has not publicly shared how much funding it secured. The startup employed around ten people, all of whom will be transitioning to OpenAI. Bloch did not provide any additional comments upon request.

      Founded in 2023, Hiro launched its AI tool approximately five months ago, enabling consumers to receive AI-powered financial planning. Users input details regarding their salary, debts, and monthly expenses, allowing the platform to model various what-if scenarios to aid in financial decision-making.

      One significant design feature was a verification option that permitted users to assess the accuracy of the AI’s financial calculations, which was intentional given that large language models often struggle with numerical reasoning.

      The startup received backing from investors such as Ribbit Capital, General Catalyst, and Restive. Bloch is a seasoned entrepreneur with a solid history in fintech and consumer software. He previously sold Flowtown, a social media SaaS launched in 2009, for $5 million, and later founded Digit, a digital-only bank aimed at automating savings for consumers, which was acquired by Oportun in 2021 for over $200 million.

      Bloch has referred to Hiro as his fifteenth project, having started product development at age 13, with the first thirteen ventures failing. This acquisition marks his third successful exit.

      This acquisition is not OpenAI's first foray into the financial services sector, as the company already promotes ChatGPT as a resource for business finance teams. The Hiro deal brings in specialized talent in consumer financial planning, an area where tailored AI reasoning related to budgets, debt repayment strategies, and savings optimization requires a distinct product approach compared to a general-purpose chat service. It remains unclear whether OpenAI plans to develop a dedicated consumer financial planning product or incorporate this expertise into its wider platform.