OpenAI is moving deeper into fintech after buying AI‑driven personal finance startup Hiro Finance in an acquihire that brings its team and technology under the ChatGPT umbrella.
After Ethan Bloch, the founder of Hiro Finance, announced the acquisition in a blog post, OpenAI confirmed the acquisition to TechCrunch and other sites. The terms were not disclosed, and Hiro has never disclosed the total amount of venture capital it raised.
Fintech-focused VCs Ribbit, General Catalyst, and Restive are among the backers. They provided funding for Hiro’s effort to build an “AI personal CFO.”
Hiro stated on its website and in investor updates that the business will cease operations on April 20. It will erase all customer data by May 13.
Several stories characterize the deal as an acquisition, focusing on talent and expertise rather than growing Hiro as a standalone software product, because the product is closing down, and the whole team is joining.
What Hiro Finance Built
About five months ago, Hiro Finance, which was founded in 2023, introduced its AI personal finance solution. The program used artificial intelligence (AI) to predict “what-if” situations. It modeled job changes, new loans, and alternative savings rates. Users entered their salaries, debts, savings, and monthly costs.
Hiro’s pitch centered on accurate financial math. The team trained its system to handle interest, compounding, and multi‑year projections, and provided users with a way to verify calculations within the interface. That focus addressed a well‑known weakness of general language models, which often struggle with precise, step‑by‑step numerical work.
In a short time, Hiro reportedly attracted around 1 million customers, showing demand for AI tools that sit between budgeting apps like Mint and full‑service human advisors. Now, those users will see the service sunset while the technology and people move over to OpenAI.
Why OpenAI Wants Hiro’s Fintech Expertise
OpenAI has been positioning ChatGPT as a tool for finance teams and small businesses, and it has already acquired at least one other finance‑focused app. Adding Hiro gives it a team that has designed, tested, and shipped consumer‑grade financial planning flows.
Bloch has a proven track record. He founded Digit, an automatic savings app that Oportun purchased for almost $200 million in 2021. OpenAI probably values his track record of developing regulated consumer fintech products just as much as Hiro’s codebase.
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