Yann LeCun and Oriol Vinyals Join $100M AI Fund 224 Ventures

Meta’s LeCun and Gemini’s Vinyals join 224 Ventures, a $100M+ fund led by Shaun Johnson. The firm targets early-stage AI apps and robotics with $1M-$5M follow-on investments.

Woofun AI reports that former Meta Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun and former Gemini Co-CTO Oriol Vinyals have joined the newly established AI venture firm 224 Ventures. The fund, operated by former AIX Ventures founder Shaun Johnson, currently manages assets exceeding $100 million.

224 Ventures focuses on early-stage AI companies, specifically targeting applications, robotics, infrastructure, and model technologies. Typical investment sizes range from $1 million to $5 million for companies valued under $1 billion, with the firm acting primarily as a follow-on investor. The core early-stage fund aims for $81 million, with over $30 million already raised. Total AUM is expected to reach at least $150 million upon completion of fundraising. LeCun and Vinyals will handle project sourcing and technology evaluation, while Johnson oversees daily operations.