OpenAI Expands its Talent Pool by Acquiring Convogo Team
OpenAI is starting the year strong by acquiring the team behind Convogo, a platform designed to assist executive coaches, consultants, and HR professionals in streamlining leadership assessments and feedback. This strategic move, categorized as an acqui-hire, does not involve the acquisition of Convogo’s intellectual property or technology but focuses on bringing its talented co-founders into OpenAI’s workforce to enhance its AI cloud initiatives.
The co-founders, Matt Cooper, Evan Cater, and Mike Gillett, are set to join OpenAI as part of an all-stock arrangement, as confirmed by a spokesperson familiar with the deal. Following the acquisition, Convogo’s existing product will be discontinued.
Convogo originated from a weekend hackathon inspired by a question from Cooper’s mother, an executive coach. She inquired whether AI could automate cumbersome report writing, allowing her to concentrate on more personal coaching tasks. For the past two years, Convogo has successfully supported thousands of coaches and collaborated with leading firms in leadership development, as outlined in a communication from the team regarding the acquisition.
In their message, the founders emphasized that their journey revealed a vital challenge: closing the gap between scientific advancements in AI and their practical applications. “We believe that the key to solving this challenge lies in creating thoughtful, purpose-driven experiences, like those we’ve developed for coaches at Convogo,” they stated. "Joining OpenAI presents us with an exciting opportunity to further our mission of making AI valuable for professionals across various industries."
This marks OpenAI’s ninth acquisition in the past year, according to PitchBook data. Typically, products from these acquisitions are either integrated into OpenAI’s existing ecosystem or discontinued, as seen with prior acquisitions like Sky and Roi. The Convogo acquisition signals OpenAI’s intention to leverage mergers and acquisitions as a means to enhance its talent pool and capabilities, a strategy mirrored by its competitors. Notably, the exception is OpenAI’s acquisition of design firm io Products, co-founded by Jonny Ive, which continues to advance its product development.
Key Points:
- OpenAI acquires the team behind Convogo to boost its AI cloud efforts.
- Co-founders Matt Cooper, Evan Cater, and Mike Gillett will join OpenAI.
- Convogo’s existing platform will be phased out.
- The acquisition highlights OpenAI’s strategy of using M&A to accelerate talent acquisition.
