The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits SF on April 30. Tickets are going fast. Register now.

Save up to $680 on your Disrupt 2026 pass. Ends 11:59 p.m. PT tonight. REGISTER NOW.

OpenAI has acquired personal finance startup Hiro Finance, as announced by founder Ethan Bloch on Monday, with the news confirmed to TechCrunch. Hiro was backed by notable fintech venture capital firms including Ribbit, General Catalyst, and Restive.

While the terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, Hiro has announced plans to cease its operations on April 20, with all data scheduled for deletion from its servers by May 13. This suggests that the acquisition may be primarily an acqui-hire, focusing on Hiro's talent rather than its operational framework.

Ethan Bloch stated in his announcement that he and the Hiro team will be joining OpenAI. Although he did not specify the exact number of employees accompanying him, LinkedIn indicates that about 10 people were associated with Hiro. Further comments from Bloch were not provided.

Founded in 2024, Hiro launched its AI-powered financial planning tool about five months ago. The application allowed users to input their financial details, such as income, debts, and expenses, while modeling various scenarios to aid in financial decision-making.

Hiro's technology was specifically designed to excel at financial calculations, offering a feature that enabled users to verify the accuracy of the financial scenarios generated, as demonstrated by Bloch. This capability comes at a time when advancements in AI models have significantly improved their mathematical accuracy, which has historically been a challenge.

This acquisition is notable for several reasons. Bloch previously founded Digit, a neobank that automates savings for its users, which was sold to Oportun in 2021 for over $200 million. Additionally, this is not the first financial application OpenAI has purchased, reflecting the company's strategy to enhance its offerings for business finance teams, particularly with its ChatGPT product.

The acquisition may also serve to bolster OpenAI's appeal among OpenClaw users, who often favor Claude, a competitive agent for robo stock trading. Notably, Bloch developed an autotrading OpenClaw agent named RoboBuffett, showcasing his deep involvement in financial technology.

A fun fact shared by Bloch is that Hiro was his 15th entrepreneurial venture, marking a long journey of trial and error since his start at the age of 13. The first 13 projects he launched failed, but his 14th project, Flowtown, a social media SaaS tool launched in 2009, was sold for $4.5 million. His successful exit from Digit followed, leading to this latest acquisition by OpenAI, a company renowned for its rapid growth and potential IPO.

Note: This article has been updated to clarify that Hiro was founded in 2024 and to confirm that Bloch declined additional comments.

Topics: acquisition, AI, Fintech, OpenAI, Startups, TC

Source: TechCrunch News