Fundraising Fox

Flapping Airplanes

San Francisco, US · Founded 2025 · Delaware corporation · 7 known investors

flappingairplanes.com ↗

Flapping Airplanes is a foundational AI research lab focused on solving the data efficiency problem in machine learning by pursuing new approaches to make models more sample efficient. It is a research-focused organization not currently commercializing, with potential applications in enterprise, robotics, trading, and scientific discovery.

AI & Machine LearningDeep Tech

Founders & leadership

Flapping Airplanes was founded in 2025 by ASHER SPECTOR, BENJAMIN SPECTOR, and Aidan Smith.

AS
ASHER SPECTORCo-founder
BS
BENJAMIN SPECTORCo-founder
ASAidan Smith
Aidan SmithinFounder

Investors · 7

Index Ventures✓ verifiedSan Francisco · $540K – $10.8M
Argo✓ verifiedNew York
Conviction✓ verifiedSan Francisco · $1M – $25M
Fundomo✓ verifiedNew York
Menlo Ventures✓ verifiedSan Francisco · $1M – $20M
Sequoia Capital✓ verifiedMenlo Park · $4.4M – $214M
Lux CapitalreportedNew York · $100K – $100M

Reported raises · per SEC filings

Form D private placements

$180.2M disclosed across 1 round · 2026

▶$180.2MraisedFeb 2026 · 79 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • ASHER SPECTORExecutive Officer, Director
  • BENJAMIN SPECTORExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$180.5M
Amount sold
$180.2M
First sale
Jan 2026
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2025
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Competitors · 2

by search overlap
Itch6 shared keywordsitch.io is an online platform for finding, sharing, buying, and selling indie games, hosting storefronts, game jams, and creator tools like the butler upload utility. It serves independent game developers and players, with features such as configurable platform fees and creator events.
Hugging Face5 shared keywordsHugging Face is a collaboration platform that hosts and provides access to machine learning models, datasets, and applications. It offers both open-source tools for the ML community and paid compute and enterprise solutions for teams building AI applications.

Companies competing with Flapping Airplanes for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

In the news

Flapping Airplanes pursues new round at reported $5 billion valuation - RuntimeWireruntimewire.com · Jul 2026AI Startup Flapping Airplanes Is In Talks To Raise Funding At A $5 Billion Valuationforbes.com · Jul 2026Flapping Airplanes Secures $18 | Signalbasetrysignalbase.com · Feb 2026Flapping Airplanes Raises $180M to Revolutionize Data-Efficient AI Learning | Ukraine news - #Mezhamezha.net · Feb 2026Flapping Airplanes Launches AI Lab with $180M Funding for Efficient Model Training | Ukraine news - #Mezhamezha.net · Jan 2026Better Wings: Why We Invested in Flapping Airplanesgv.com · Jan 2026

Frequently asked questions

What does Flapping Airplanes do?
Flapping Airplanes is a foundational AI research lab focused on solving the data efficiency problem in machine learning by pursuing new approaches to make models more sample efficient. It is a research-focused organization not currently commercializing, with potential applications in enterprise, robotics, trading, and scientific discovery.
Who founded Flapping Airplanes?
Flapping Airplanes was founded by ASHER SPECTOR, BENJAMIN SPECTOR, Aidan Smith in 2025.
Who are Flapping Airplanes's investors?
Flapping Airplanes's investors include Index Ventures, Argo, Conviction, Fundomo, Menlo Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Lux Capital.
How much funding has Flapping Airplanes raised?
Flapping Airplanes has disclosed $180.2M raised across 1 round.
Where is Flapping Airplanes headquartered?
Flapping Airplanes is headquartered in San Francisco, US.