BREAKING: A 24-year-old Stanford dropout has just raised $64 million in seed funding for her AI startup, Axiom Math, and attracted top talent from Meta’s elite AI teams. Carina Hong, who launched Axiom in March 2023, is on a mission to create an AI mathematician, and her efforts are shaking up the tech landscape.
In a stunning recruitment move, Hong has successfully lured several leading researchers from Meta, including Shubho Sengupta, now Axiom’s CTO. The company aims to tackle advanced mathematics, a crucial stepping stone for achieving superintelligence, according to AI leaders. Hong’s vision is resonating with talent, as many employees view their work at Axiom as their legacy.
Axiom Math, which recently claimed to solve two long-elusive Erdos math problems, has quickly grown to 17 employees, primarily drawn from Meta’s Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) lab and other top AI research groups. The company’s rapid ascent comes amid layoffs at Meta, intensifying competition for AI talent.
“We’re not just building a company; we’re building the future,” Hong stated. She emphasized that the challenge of creating mathematical superintelligence attracts high-caliber researchers. Despite Meta’s lucrative retention packages, Axiom’s long-term vision has proven irresistible to many.
In a competitive talent market, Axiom’s appeal lies not just in its potential but also in the excitement surrounding its mission. When Hong started, her workspace was rudimentary, featuring a plastic folding table and a friend’s spare couch. Yet, the allure of groundbreaking work has energized her team from day one.
Hong has also secured talent beyond Big Tech, including renowned mathematician Ken Ono, her former professor. She believes that age and experience are merely societal constructs, fostering a non-hierarchical culture at Axiom that encourages collaboration among all team members.
Axiom Math isn’t just about theoretical pursuits; the startup’s commercial applications could revolutionize various fields, including hardware verification, quantitative finance, and cryptography.
As Axiom continues to grow and innovate, eyes are on Hong and her team to see how they will reshape the future of AI and mathematics. The implications of their work could extend far beyond academia, impacting industries worldwide.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story as Axiom Math pushes the boundaries of what AI can achieve.
