AI inference startup Baseten reportedly raising $1.5B months after its last mega-round

AI inference startup Baseten is raising $1.5 billion at a $13 billion valuation, just five months after raising $300 million at a $5 billion valuation. The company operates in the inference layer of AI, handling what happens after a user submits a prompt to an AI model, and it aims to manage inference quickly while controlling costs by routing requests to open source alternatives. The funding round uses a split-price structure where different investors come in at different valuations between $11 billion and $13 billion, a tactic described as boosting headline valuations for lead investors. Baseten's rapid funding reflects a broader trend of venture capital investment in AI inference companies, sometimes called the "inference gold rush."