Yann LeCun's second venture capital fund successfully raises $100 million, with Gemini's co-lead joining as a partner.

Yann LeCun's second venture capital fund successfully raises $100 million, with Gemini's co-lead joining as a partner.

      **Summary:** Yann LeCun and Oriol Vinyals are joining 224 Ventures, a newly launched AI fund with over $100 million in assets. The fund is focused on early-stage AI investments, making checks between $1 million and $5 million, and has attracted the University of Illinois as its anchor investor. LeCun, formerly Meta's chief AI scientist, and Vinyals, who recently left Google DeepMind, will partner with Shaun Johnson, co-founder of AIX Ventures, to lead the firm.

      Vinyals' move comes as he departs DeepMind to co-establish a startup called Discovery Loop, which focuses on automating science and engineering. The fund aims to raise $81 million for its core early-stage investments and has already raised approximately $30 million. It has also put over $60 million into growth-stage AI firms through special-purpose vehicles, with total assets expected to exceed $150 million once the early-stage fund closes. The fund is particularly interested in AI applications and robotics, and has already made several undisclosed investments.

      LeCun and Vinyals have previously invested in startups like Perplexity and Groq. The fund's limited partners predominantly include individuals in the AI field, which should enhance deal flow and support. LeCun's previous venture, Extelligence Invest, collapsed quickly due to unspecified issues with other funds, which he attributed to miscommunication. With 224 Ventures, he plans to collaborate more closely with Vinyals and help support founders while staying informed about AI advancements. All three partners will manage investment decisions together and share profits equally.

      **Published August 5, 2026 - 7:21 pm UTC**

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Yann LeCun's second venture capital fund successfully raises $100 million, with Gemini's co-lead joining as a partner.

LeCun and Oriol Vinyals are joining 224 Ventures, a newly established AI fund that has over $100 million in assets. The fund aims to invest in early-stage AI startups with checks ranging from $1 million to $5 million. The limited partners are primarily individuals from the AI industry.