Flush With Cash From OpenAI, Opal Is Making an AI-Powered Audio Gadget
Key takeaways
- Opal Camera is rebranding to Opal Electronics and will expand its product portfolio beyond webcams to a broad range of consumer devices, some of which will be AI-focused.
- The transition was possible thanks to a $40 million Series B funding round from OpenAI.
- OpenAI did not respond to WIRED's request for comment.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
The Opal Tadpole webcam. The company is changing its name to Opal Electronics.Courtesy of Opal Electronics Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story. A small San Francisco startup known for making well-appointed, beautifully designed webcams is now vying to become the AI hardware company of the moment.
Opal Camera is rebranding to Opal Electronics and will expand its product portfolio beyond webcams to a broad range of consumer devices, some of which will be AI-focused. It aims to emulate Sony Electronics as a wide-ranging consumer gadget brand by focusing on design and culture, not just tech.
The transition was possible thanks to a $40 million Series B funding round from OpenAI. Some details about the investment were first reported in 2024, but the deal was closed in the first quarter of 2025. Other investors in Opal include Samsung, Peter Thiel, Seven Seven Six (Alexis Ohanian's venture capital firm), and noted tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (known as MKBHD), among others, according to a source close to the deal. Opal is now valued at around $275 million.