Eightco Holdings Deepens OpenAI Stake to $90 Million Amid IPO Buzz
Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS), a company with ties to cryptocurrency mining and media ventures, has significantly increased its investment in artificial intelligence leader OpenAI. The firm announced on Friday an additional $40 million commitment, bringing its total capital deployed into OpenAI to $90 million. This new infusion represents approximately 30% of Eightco’s entire treasury, underscoring a major strategic pivot toward the AI sector.
The announcement was made via the company’s official Twitter account, linking to a formal statement.
Eightco (NASDAQ: ORBS) Invests Additional $40 Million into OpenAI, Bringing Total OpenAI Investment to $90 Millionhttps://t.co/0oJC0E71gx pic.twitter.com/5MKbhM6k7K
— Eightco Holdings, Inc. (@Eightcoholdings) March 20, 2026
In a statement, Eightco CEO Kevin O’Donnell framed the move as a “transformative opportunity” designed to give retail shareholders indirect access to one of the world’s most influential AI companies. “This investment highlights our continued belief in the long-term impact of artificial intelligence and positions ORBS at the forefront of innovation as this technology reshapes industries globally,” O’Donnell said.
Context: OpenAI’s Meteoric Growth and Funding
The magnitude of Eightco’s bet is underscored by OpenAI’s recent financial trajectory. The AI pioneer closed a record-breaking $110 billion private funding round in early 2026, attracting investments from tech giants like Amazon and NVIDIA, alongside several sovereign wealth funds. That round valued the company at an astonishing $730 billion. Financially, OpenAI reported surpassing $20 billion in annual revenue as of January 2026, a more than threefold increase from the approximately $6 billion it generated in 2024.
This explosive growth occurs as OpenAI prepares for a potential initial public offering (IPO) as early as the fourth quarter of 2026. Internally, the company is aggressively shifting focus toward enterprise customers, aiming to convert its massive user base—reportedly 900 million weekly active users of ChatGPT—into deeper, high-revenue engagements. Leadership has also signaled plans for monumental future investment, targeting around $600 billion in compute expenditure by 2030 alongside projected revenues exceeding $280 billion.
Eightco’s Broader Portfolio and Leadership Moves
The OpenAI investment disclosure coincided with two significant board-related appointments. Tom Lee, the Chairman of Bitmine (a Bitcoin mining infrastructure firm), is joining Eightco’s board of directors. Brett Winton, Chief Futurist at ARK Invest—the firm known for its disruptive technology focus under Cathie Wood—has been named an advisor to the board.
Beyond OpenAI, Eightco’s treasury holds a diverse set of assets. This includes a substantial position of 277 million Worldcoin (WLD) tokens, 11,068 Ethereum (ETH), and $76 million in cash and stablecoins. The Worldcoin stake is particularly notable; Eightco is the largest publicly traded holder of the token, a digital identity and crypto project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. However, this position carries significant risk; WLD has plummeted roughly 97% from its all-time high of $11.70, according to data from CoinGecko.
Market Reaction and Stock Performance
Despite the high-profile investments and board appointments, Eightco’s stock (ORBS) has faced sustained pressure. Shares fell 4% to $0.90 intraday following the announcement, as reported by Yahoo Finance. Year-to-date, the stock is down approximately 46%. This decline persists even though trading volumes for ORBS have surged following multiple funding-related announcements, suggesting investor skepticism about the company’s strategy or valuation.
The juxtaposition is stark: Eightco is doubling down on a private AI juggernaut nearing a blockbuster IPO while holding a major, severely depreciated position in a crypto project tied to that same AI leader’s founder. The market appears to be weighing the transformative potential of the OpenAI stake against the volatility of its broader crypto-heavy treasury and the operational challenges of a company diversifying so aggressively.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
