Laude is launching a new AI research institute with a $100 million pledge from its founder Andy Konwinski. The goal: fund independent AI research structured more like grants than typical commercial labs.
The Laude Institute’s first big move is a $3 million per year, five-year grant to open a new AI Systems Lab at UC Berkeley. The lab, led by Ion Stoica, will start in 2027 and bring in top AI researchers.
Konwinski, co-founder of Databricks and Perplexity, set up the institute’s board with AI heavyweights like UC Berkeley’s Dave Patterson, Google’s Jeff Dean, and Meta’s Joelle Pineau. 
The institute focuses on two research tracks: “Slingshots” for early-stage projects and “Moonshots” for tackling major challenges like healthcare and workforce reskilling.
Andy Konwinski stated:
”Built by and for computer science researchers … We exist to catalyze work that doesn’t just push the field forward but guides it towards more beneficial outcomes.”
The institute blurs nonprofit and commercial lines. Laude also runs a for-profit venture fund that backed AI startups like Arcade. Konwinski’s fortune comes from Databricks’ $15.3 billion round and Perplexity’s $14 billion valuation.
The launch follows growing criticism of AI labs balancing research integrity with commercial interests. It aims to be a genuinely independent alternative in a fragmented AI scene, offering grant-style funding to cut through the noise.
