OpenAI reportedly leads $60M round for webcam startup Opal

Source: SiliconANGLE

OpenAI is expected to be joined by several of Opal’s existing backers in the new round, which is described as a Series B raise. Founders Fund and Kindred Ventures are among the returning investors that could reportedly take part.

Opal’s flagship product is a $149 webcam called Tadpole that’s designed to clip onto laptop monitors. It takes the form of a 1.25-inch square that weighs about as much as an AA battery. Tadpole can record videos with a resolution of up to 3840 pixels by 2160 pixels, sharpness that Opal says is usually available only with pricier webcams.

Customers can customize their Tadpole devices using a companion app called Composer. It provides the ability to adjust lighting levels and several other settings in cases when the default configuration is not optimal.

According to The Information’s sources, Opal will continue making webcams after closing its OpenAI-led Series B round. But the company is expected to shift some resources to developing AI-powered devices. The report detailed that those devices are intended to be used as “creative tools” by consumers. 

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