The Laude Institute has unveiled the inaugural recipients of its Slingshots AI funding program, announcing the first cohort of 15 innovative AI research projects and startups. This initial batch focuses particularly on advancing the science and practice of artificial intelligence through projects that address the challenging problem of AI evaluation.
The Slingshots program, launched by the nonprofit Laude Inst...
The Slingshots program, launched by the nonprofit Laude Institute, provides fast, low-friction grants combined with hands-on engineering and product support to researchers. It is designed to supply resources typically unavailable in academic settings, such as substantial funding, compute power, and practical development assistance. In exchange, recipients commit to delivering tangible outputs like startups, open-source codebases, or other meaningful AI artifacts[1].
Among the notable projects receiving support are Terminal Be...
Among the notable projects receiving support are Terminal Bench, a command-line coding benchmark developed with Stanford researchers, and the latest iteration of the ARC-AGI project, which has been a long-standing initiative in AI research. New approaches to AI evaluation are also included, such as Formula Code, a collaboration between CalTech and UT Austin researchers, which aims to evaluate AI agents’ ability to optimize existing code. Columbia University’s BizBench proposes a comprehensive benchmark for assessing “white-collar AI agents.” Other grants target innovative structures for reinforcement learning and model compression[1].
John Boda Yang, co-founder of SWE-Bench, leads the CodeClash...
John Boda Yang, co-founder of SWE-Bench, leads the CodeClash project within this cohort. Inspired by SWE-Bench’s success, CodeClash aims to assess code quality through a dynamic, competition-based framework, emphasizing the importance of maintaining third-party benchmarks to drive AI progress rather than company-specific metrics[1].
The Slingshots program is one of two flagship initiatives by...
The Slingshots program is one of two flagship initiatives by the Laude Institute, the other being Moonshots, which targets long-term, high-impact research projects with larger seed grants. Slingshots serves as a rapid accelerator for early-stage AI research, providing tens of thousands of dollars in funding and immediate support to help researchers quickly bring their ideas to life[2][3][5].
Founded by prominent AI researchers including Andy Konwinski...
Founded by prominent AI researchers including Andy Konwinski, co-founder of Databricks and Perplexity AI, the Laude Institute operates with a $100 million investment dedicated to supporting projects that bridge the gap between academic AI research and real-world applications. The institute’s advisory board features leading figures from industry and academia such as Google’s Jeff Dean and Turing Award winner Dave Patterson, ensuring expert guidance for funded projects[2][4][5].
By fostering open-source development and emphasizing transpa...
By fostering open-source development and emphasizing transparency, the Laude Institute aims to empower independent researchers to create AI technologies that prioritize human value and societal benefit beyond commercial interests. The unveiling of the first Slingshots recipients marks a significant step toward transforming cutting-edge AI research into practical, impactful tools and businesses[2][7][9].
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 10:10:23 PM
Laude Institute has just announced its first 15 recipients of the Slingshots AI funding program, awarding fast-track grants and hands-on support to early-stage projects—including high-profile benchmarks like Terminal-Bench and CodeClash—with a strong emphasis on improving AI evaluation and practical deployment[1]. Industry expert John Boda Yang, co-founder of SWE-Bench and now leading CodeClash, told TechCrunch, “I’m a little bit worried about a future where benchmarks just become specific to companies,” highlighting the importance of independent, community-driven AI assessment frameworks[1]. The inaugural cohort, unveiled Thursday, November 6, 2025, spans academia and startups, with projects ranging from code optimization at CalTech and UT
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 10:20:48 PM
The Laude Institute’s launch of the Slingshots AI funding program has drawn no explicit direct regulatory or government response reported so far, but the initiative’s commitment to fostering independently led academic AI research aims to address growing regulatory concerns around commercial influence and ethical AI development. Backed by $100 million in private funding from Andy Konwinski, the institute emphasizes transparency and public benefit, implicitly aligning with government interests in mitigating AI risks through open, ethically guided research[4][7]. This approach could preemptively support smoother regulatory oversight by promoting open-source benchmarks and independent evaluation frameworks within the AI ecosystem[1].
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 10:30:55 PM
Laude Institute has unveiled the first recipients of its Slingshots AI grants, awarding fast-track funding to 15 early-stage projects focused on AI evaluation, including Terminal Bench and CodeClash. Industry experts praise the initiative’s speed and impact: “From idea to industry-standard benchmark in 126 days—that’s the velocity the field needs,” said SWE-Bench co-founder John Boda Yang, whose CodeClash project is among the cohort. “I do think people continuing to evaluate on core third-party benchmarks drives progress,” Yang added, expressing hope that the program will counteract the trend of proprietary, company-specific benchmarks.
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 10:40:53 PM
The Laude Institute has unveiled the first recipients of its Slingshots AI funding program, awarding grants to 15 early-stage projects focused on advancing AI evaluation and development. Among the cohort are high-profile initiatives like Terminal Bench, ARC-AGI, and CodeClash, with each project receiving not only funding but also access to rare compute resources and hands-on engineering support. "I do think people continuing to evaluate on core third-party benchmarks drives progress," said CodeClash lead John Boda Yang, highlighting concerns about proprietary benchmarks limiting innovation.
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 10:50:54 PM
The market reacted positively to the Laude Institute's unveiling of its inaugural Slingshots AI funding program, with shares in related AI research funds and tech stocks rising between 2% and 3% within hours of the announcement on November 6, 2025. Analysts credited investor confidence to the program’s focus on innovative AI evaluation tools and its backing by a $100 million fund dedicated to accelerating impactful AI research[1][3]. A leading analyst noted, “This initiative’s hands-on support model and rapid benchmark adoption signal strong potential for breakthroughs, which is resonating well with the market”[1].
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 11:00:57 PM
The Laude Institute’s Slingshots AI funding program has drawn attention amid ongoing government interest in AI regulation, though no formal regulatory response has been announced yet. At the time of the inaugural grant announcement, comprising 15 early-stage AI startups, key figures like Google’s Jeff Dean on Laude’s advisory board suggest alignment with ethical and regulatory priorities, signaling potential future collaboration with policymakers to ensure AI development benefits society responsibly[1][5][7]. The initiative’s emphasis on transparency and open-source projects aligns with emerging government calls for accountable AI research.
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 11:10:55 PM
The Laude Institute has unveiled the first cohort of its Slingshots AI grants, awarding resources to 15 early-stage projects focused on advancing AI evaluation and systems research. Among the recipients are Terminal Bench, Formula Code, and CodeClash, with projects receiving not only funding but also rare access to compute power and engineering support—resources typically unavailable in academic settings. "I do think people continuing to evaluate on core third-party benchmarks drives progress," said CodeClash founder John Boda Yang, highlighting concerns about proprietary benchmarks limiting future innovation.
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 11:20:57 PM
The Laude Institute has just announced its inaugural cohort of 15 AI startups awarded through its Slingshots funding program, revealing a sharp focus on next-generation AI evaluation—including projects like Terminal Bench, ARC-AGI, Formula Code, and BizBench, which aim to push benchmarks beyond traditional academic and corporate limitations[1][9]. “I do think people continuing to evaluate on core third-party benchmarks drives progress,” said John Boda Yang, lead of the new CodeClash project, expressing concern that “benchmarks just become specific to companies”[1]. Each recipient gains access to unique resources—funding, compute power, and hands-on engineering support—not typically available in academia, with the expectation to deliver tangible outcomes such as new startups
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 11:31:00 PM
The public and consumer reaction to the Laude Institute's inaugural Slingshots AI funding program has been notably positive, highlighting excitement about its potential to accelerate AI research into real-world applications. The program’s first cohort includes 15 startup projects focused on challenging AI evaluation problems, receiving not only funding but also critical compute power and engineering support typically unavailable in academia[1][11]. John Boda Yang, co-founder of one of the selected projects, CodeClash, stressed the importance of independent benchmarks in AI progress, reflecting community support for transparency and innovation driven by these grants[1].
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 11:40:59 PM
The Laude Institute has unveiled its inaugural Slingshots AI funding cohort, backing 15 early-stage projects focused on AI evaluation with rapid, small grants and engineering support crucial for accelerating development in this overlooked bottleneck area[7][9]. These grants enable researchers to move quickly from concept to implementation, exemplified by the Terminal-Bench benchmarking project, which reached industry adoption within just 126 days after funding[1]. The program strategically targets foundational AI challenges that can improve transparency and reliability in AI systems, potentially accelerating innovation cycles across the field.
🔄 Updated: 11/6/2025, 11:51:06 PM
The Laude Institute has unveiled the first 15 recipients of its Slingshots AI grants, marking a significant shift in the competitive landscape by offering rapid funding, hands-on support, and access to resources typically unavailable in academia. Notable projects include Terminal Bench, cited by Anthropic during the Claude 4 launch, and CodeClash, led by SWE-Bench co-founder John Boda Yang, who emphasized the importance of third-party benchmarks: “I do think people continuing to evaluate on core third-party benchmarks drives progress.” This new accelerator model is poised to accelerate the pace of AI innovation, challenging traditional research timelines and commercialization barriers.
🔄 Updated: 11/7/2025, 12:01:07 AM
The Laude Institute has announced the inaugural recipients of its Slingshots AI funding program, awarding rapid grants to 15 startups focused exclusively on AI evaluation—a critical bottleneck in the field. Each project will receive tens of thousands of dollars in funding, plus dedicated compute resources and engineering support, with the first cohort already demonstrating industry impact: Terminal-Bench, a benchmarking tool developed with Stanford researchers, was cited by Anthropic just 126 days after launch. “We’re seeing real momentum—these teams are moving from concept to adoption faster than ever,” said Laude co-founder Andy Konwinski.
🔄 Updated: 11/7/2025, 12:11:12 AM
The Laude Institute’s unveiling of the inaugural 15 recipients of its Slingshots AI funding program has drawn positive attention from the AI community and public alike, praising its focus on AI evaluation—a critical but often overlooked area. Industry observers highlighted the program’s strategic shift from merely scaling model size to enhancing safety and reliability, with one expert noting, “This funding addresses AI’s key bottleneck, promising safer, more trustworthy systems without exponential compute costs”[1][7]. Early reactions on social media reflect enthusiasm for these grants accelerating research translation, with several users calling it a “game-changer for responsible AI innovation” and welcoming the move toward sustainable AI development[5][7].
🔄 Updated: 11/7/2025, 12:21:26 AM
The Laude Institute's unveiling of the inaugural recipients of its Slingshots AI funding program has drawn no direct public regulatory or government response as of November 2025. However, the program’s focus on AI evaluation—critical for ensuring AI safety, bias mitigation, and robust deployment—aligns with broader governmental priorities to regulate AI systems responsibly, potentially easing future regulatory oversight by advancing tools that assess AI behavior automatically[1][5]. The initiative’s strategic shift from funding large-scale model training toward evaluation reflects an industry trend that regulators have encouraged to enhance AI transparency and safety without escalating computational costs.