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§ Private Profile · Mountain View, CA, USA
Singularity University is a company.
Singularity delivers educational programs, business incubation, and strategic consultancy, all focused on exponential technologies. It equips leaders and organizations with frameworks to leverage rapidly advancing fields like AI, biotechnology, and robotics, fostering innovation and strategic foresight to navigate technological acceleration. Its offerings aim to provide practical knowledge for future-oriented decision-making.
Singularity University was co-founded in 2008 by futurists Dr. Peter H. Diamandis and Ray Kurzweil. Their collaboration stemmed from the insight that accelerating technological change demanded a new institution to educate leaders on its profound implications. Kurzweil's influential work on the technological singularity deeply informed the organization's foundational philosophy.
The organization caters to a global community of diverse individuals and organizations, including executives, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, all seeking to apply advanced technologies for global impact. Singularity's vision is to empower leaders to address humanity's grand challenges by developing and deploying solutions benefiting billions worldwide.
Singularity University has raised $32.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Singularity University.
Singularity University was founded in 2008 by Barney Pell (Associate Founder and Trustee) and David S. Rose (Associate Founder & Founding Track Chair, Finance & Entrepreneurship).
Singularity University has raised $32.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Singularity University has raised $32.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $32.0M Series B in February 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 2018 | $32M Series B | Bethany Tate Cornell, Erik Anderson | Mukita, PeopleFund, Silicon Valley Bank, TAL Education Group | Announced |
Key people at Singularity University.
Singularity University (now known as Singularity or Singularity Group) is not a traditional company or accredited university but an education-focused organization that delivers immersive programs on exponential technologies.[2][4][5] Founded to educate and empower leaders in using technologies like AI, biotech, and robotics to solve humanity's grand challenges, it offers executive education, custom programs, and experiences rather than degrees or investments.[1][2][4] It has inspired over 200,000 leaders across 100+ countries through its mindset-shifting curricula, including the flagship 10-week Graduate Studies Program (GSP) and shorter executive immersions.[2][4][5]
Unlike an investment firm, Singularity does not manage funds or portfolios; instead, it operates as a for-profit entity (evolving from nonprofit roots) providing professional development, incubation via SU Labs, and consultancy.[5] Its impact lies in fostering a global network of innovators, with alumni launching ventures like Matternet (drone logistics) and Getaround (car-sharing).[5]
Singularity University emerged from a 2007 dinner conversation between futurists Peter Diamandis and Ray Kurzweil, inspired by Kurzweil's book *The Singularity is Near*.[3][4] Diamandis pitched the idea of a new "university" to train leaders in leveraging exponential technologies for global challenges, leading to its formal founding in 2008 (with some sources citing 2009 announcement).[1][2][4][5] Backed by NASA, Google, and others, it launched at NASA's Ames Research Park in Silicon Valley with the 10-week GSP in 2009, attracting entrepreneurs, technologists, and executives.[1][3][4][5]
Key figures include co-founders Diamandis (initial chairman) and Kurzweil, who announced it at TED.[5] Early programs gained traction through media coverage and events like Maker Faire, building a community focused on disruptive innovation.[1] It shifted to a for-profit model under Singularity Education Group, facing 2018 scandals (harassment, embezzlement) but relaunching by 2023 with new management.[5]
Singularity rides the exponential technology wave, educating leaders on accelerating advancements in AI, biotech, and robotics amid trends like human-AI collaboration and abundance-driven innovation.[2][4][6] Its timing capitalized on post-2008 optimism for tech solving grand challenges (e.g., poverty, health), amplified by Silicon Valley's ecosystem and backers like NASA.[1][3] Market forces favoring it include rising demand for upskilling in converging tech, corporate innovation needs, and global expansion post-scandals.[2][5]
It influences the ecosystem by creating "futuremakers"—alumni networks driving startups, policy, and corporate transformation—rather than direct funding, positioning it as a talent pipeline for the singularity-era tech landscape.[1][4][5]
Singularity's influence will grow through global program expansion and AI-focused curricula, capitalizing on 2020s tech acceleration.[2][5][6] Expect deeper corporate customizations, Human-AI training (e.g., via leaders like Kian Gohar), and relaunch momentum to solidify its role in abundance-era education.[4][6] As exponential tech converges faster, it could evolve into a hybrid incubator-consultancy hub, empowering more leaders to tackle humanity's challenges—echoing its founding mission to inspire breakthroughs beyond the horizon.[1][4]
Singularity University was founded in 2008 by Barney Pell (Associate Founder and Trustee) and David S. Rose (Associate Founder & Founding Track Chair, Finance & Entrepreneurship).
Singularity University has raised $32.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Singularity University's investors include Bethany Tate Cornell, Erik Anderson, Mukita, PeopleFund, Silicon Valley Bank, TAL Education Group.
