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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
The fastest way to ship airtight AI
Openlayer has raised $20.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at Openlayer.
Openlayer was founded in 2021 by Vikas Nair (Founder) and Gabriel Bayomi Kalejaiye (Founder) and Rishab Ramanathan (Founder).
Openlayer has raised $20.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Openlayer is the governance platform for AI applications.
Openlayer is an AI governance and observability platform designed to help enterprises ship reliable, trustworthy AI systems quickly and efficiently. It provides a unified environment for continuous AI evaluation, testing, monitoring, and compliance automation, supporting both traditional machine learning models and emerging generative AI systems. The platform integrates seamlessly with developer workflows, enabling automated tests on every code commit and real-time monitoring of AI models in production. Openlayer serves industries such as cybersecurity, fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, and travel, addressing critical challenges like bias, hallucinations, data quality, and security risks. Its mission is to transform AI development by embedding trust, transparency, and continuous governance into the AI lifecycle, thereby enabling enterprises to deploy AI with confidence and accountability[1][3][5].
For an investment firm, Openlayer represents a strategic bet on the growing need for AI governance infrastructure as AI adoption scales in mission-critical applications. The company’s investment philosophy aligns with backing startups that provide essential tools for safe and compliant AI deployment. Its impact on the startup ecosystem includes raising standards for AI reliability and fostering innovation in AI lifecycle management, which is becoming a foundational layer for enterprise AI adoption[1][5].
For a portfolio company, Openlayer builds an AI evaluation and governance platform that serves AI development teams and enterprises shipping AI products where reliability is paramount. It solves the problem of inconsistent AI model performance and the lack of robust, automated testing and monitoring tools. The company has demonstrated strong growth momentum, raising $14.5 million in Series A funding led by Race Capital and supported by Y Combinator and other investors, reflecting confidence in its market fit and technology[1][4][5].
Openlayer was founded in 2021 by Gabe, Rishab, and Vikas, who met while working at Apple. They observed a recurring problem across AI/ML teams: models often failed to perform as expected in real-world conditions due to inadequate evaluation and monitoring. Motivated to solve this, they created Openlayer to provide a streamlined, developer-friendly platform for continuous AI testing and governance. Initially launched as Unbox, the company rebranded to Openlayer to emphasize transparency and trust in AI systems. Early traction came from adoption by both startups and Fortune 500 companies, validating the need for a simpler, automated AI evaluation workflow integrated with tools like GitHub[1][3][4].
Openlayer rides the critical trend of AI governance and reliability, which has become a top priority as AI systems move from experimental to production environments in sensitive sectors like finance, healthcare, and security. The timing is crucial because the rapid adoption of generative AI and large language models has exposed risks such as bias, hallucinations, and data leakage, which can cause significant operational and reputational damage. Market forces favor platforms that provide transparency, continuous evaluation, and compliance automation to mitigate these risks. Openlayer influences the broader ecosystem by setting new standards for AI observability and governance, enabling enterprises to scale AI responsibly and fostering trust in AI-driven products and services[1][3][5][6].
Looking ahead, Openlayer is positioned to expand its platform capabilities to cover more complex AI workflows and regulatory requirements as AI governance frameworks evolve globally. Trends such as increasing regulatory scrutiny, demand for explainability, and integration of AI into critical infrastructure will shape its journey. The company’s influence is likely to grow as it becomes a foundational tool for enterprises aiming to operationalize AI safely at scale. Continued innovation in automation, real-time monitoring, and compliance will be key to maintaining its competitive edge. Openlayer’s vision of making reliable AI an immediate reality ties back to its core mission of enabling teams to ship airtight AI with confidence and speed[3][5][6].
Key people at Openlayer.
Openlayer was founded in 2021 by Vikas Nair (Founder) and Gabriel Bayomi Kalejaiye (Founder) and Rishab Ramanathan (Founder).
Openlayer has raised $20.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Openlayer's investors include Race Capital, Kindred Ventures, Amjad Masad, Amr Awadallah, Dharmesh Shah, Astasia Myers, 10100, 7wire Ventures, Adjacent, AI4ALL, Amplify Partners, Andreessen Horowitz.
Openlayer has raised $20.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $15.0M Series A in May 2025.
