The Twenty Minute VC (20VC) · Thursday, August 27, 2026
NVIDIA is making significant moves in the AI space, acquiring Poolside for $12 billion and investing $1 billion in Mercor and Perplexity's latest funding rounds. The Poolside acquisition includes licensing their model factory for $6 billion and moving 109 engineers to NVIDIA's Nemo Tron team. This strategic expansion aims to bolster NVIDIA's AI ecosystem and full-stack capabilities.
“So, I think you have to believe we're less than a third of the way through this cycle.”
“One, they're buying pool side for $12 billion. Two, they're investing in McCool's $20 billion price round. Three, they're investing in Plexity's $30 billion price round.”
“We're going to start with the model layer where Nvidia is paying $6 billion to license pool sides model factory and investing $1 billion more at a $12 billion pre money valuation, moving 109 engineers over to Nemo Tron to help build it.”