AI Startup Perplexity Valued at $18 Billion With New Funding

Perplexity AI Inc., whose artificial intelligence-powered search engine competes with Google, has raised fresh capital in a deal that values the startup at $18 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The company brought in $100 million with the financing, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The deal is an extension of a previous round from a few months ago that valued the company at $14 billion, the person said — investments that underscore the Silicon Valley rush to back the top AI startups.

Perplexity declined to comment. The ...