Kevin Durant's early Hugging Face bet could become a $60M AI windfall
What's the deal? NBA starKevin DurantDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s early investment in AI platform Hugging Face is back in the spotlight after reports that Nvidia has agreed to acquire the company in a deal valued at around $12.9 billion. Durant and business partner Rich KleimanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, through Thirty Five VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, reportedly invested a combined $250,000 across Hugging Face's seed and Series A rounds, with estimates suggesting the stake could be worth more than $60 million if the deal closes.
Why now? The reported acquisition would give Nvidia control of one of the world's largest open AI model and dataset platforms, strengthening its position beyond chips into AI infrastructure and developer tools. The story has also renewed attention on celebrity investors making outsized returns from early-stage AI bets.
What could go wrong? The acquisition has not been officially announced by Nvidia or Hugging Face, and the reported valuation and deal terms remain subject to change. Estimates of Durant's potential payout are based on reported early investments rather than disclosed ownership figures.
The signal: As AI infrastructure becomes increasingly strategic, companies building developer ecosystems—not just foundation models—are emerging as some of the ecosystem's most valuable acquisition targets.
Read more: exec.sum - Yahoo! Finance
