Andy Konwinski, co-founder of Databricks and Perplexity, has announced the launch of the Laude Institute, a $100 million philanthropic initiative focused on advancing independent, high-impact AI research. The institute will operate as a hybrid nonprofit with a public benefit corporation arm, structuring its funding more like research grants than commercial investments.
Konwinski’s first major commitment is a $15 million flagship grant to establish the AI Systems Lab at UC Berkeley, led by Ion Stoica, co-founder of Anyscale and Databricks. Joining Laude’s board are prominent AI figures including Jeff Dean (Google), Joelle Pineau (Meta), and Dave Patterson (UC Berkeley). Konwinski described the mission as “guiding AI toward more beneficial outcomes,” supporting both early-stage work and long-term moonshot efforts.
