Tiger Global could collect about $5 billion from its early OpenAI bet

Tiger Global could earn about $5 billion from its early investment in OpenAI. Those gains are still on paper, but they are the kind of paper most fund managers would frame and hang in the lobby. The figure says a lot about how far OpenAI’s valuation has climbed. It also shows how much an early check can grow when the company behind it becomes the center of the AI boom. How a $50 million check became a $5 billion story Tiger Global first invested in OpenAI in 2019. It put in $50 million at a valuation of $14.5 billion. The firm came back for more in 2021, buying approximately $125 million in secondary shares. A secondary purchase means buying existing shares from current holders, such as early employees or investors, rather than new stock issued by the company. Tiger Global also joined OpenAI’s 2024 funding round. That round set OpenAI’s post-money valuation at $157 billion. On March 31, 2026, OpenAI closed a $122 billion funding round at a post-money valuation of $852 billion. Tiger Global’s early-investor pool holds approximately 1% of OpenAI. At a $500 billion valuation, that stake is worth roughly $5 billion. That $500 billion reference point is below OpenAI’s latest $852 billio...