OpenAI has acquired personal finance startup Hiro Finance, co-founder Ethan Bloch announced, and the company also confirmed the development. The startup had backing from leading fintech investor Ribbit Capital, along with General Catalyst and Restive Ventures.
Although the companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, Hiro Finance also never revealed its total funding. However, since the startup confirmed it will shut down operations on April 20 and permanently delete all user data from its servers by May 13, industry observers widely view the transaction as an acquihire.
Meanwhile, Ethan Bloch stated that Hiro Finance employees will join OpenAI as part of the transition. While he did not confirm the exact number, LinkedIn data suggests that the startup had around 10 employees. He did not respond to additional requests for comment.
Founded in 2023, Hiro Finance launched its AI-powered financial planning tool just five months ago. The platform enabled users to input key financial details such as salary, debts, and monthly expenses. Subsequently, the app generated multiple “what-if” scenarios, helping users make more informed financial decisions.
Moreover, the product was specifically trained to deliver accurate financial calculations. It even included a feature that allowed users to verify the accuracy of outputs, as Bloch demonstrated earlier. Over time, advanced AI models have significantly improved their mathematical capabilities; however, historically, achieving consistent accuracy in financial computations remained a challenge.
Notably, this deal carries additional significance because Ethan Bloch previously founded Digit, a digital banking platform that automated savings for users. Later, Digit was acquired by Oportun in 2021 for more than $200 million.
Furthermore, this is not the first time OpenAI has acquired a financial-focused application. Since the company already positions ChatGPT as a valuable tool for business and finance teams, the acquisition aligns with its broader strategy to strengthen capabilities in financial services.
At the same time, it remains unclear whether OpenAI will launch a dedicated financial planning product or simply integrate Hiro’s expertise into its existing ecosystem. Additionally, industry observers suggest that the move could help OpenAI appeal to users of OpenClaw, who often prefer Claude. OpenClaw widely powers automated stock trading, and notably, Bloch also developed his own auto-trading agent called RoboBuffett, which he shared on LinkedIn.
OpenAI’s acquisition of Hiro Finance highlights its continued push into financial AI and talent acquisition. While the immediate impact appears to center on strengthening internal expertise, the move could eventually translate into more advanced financial tools for users. As AI adoption accelerates across industries, this deal further reinforces OpenAI’s intent to expand its influence in high-value, data-driven domains like personal finance.
