This page contains links to our partners. We may be compensated when a link is clicked. Read the disclosures to learn more.
Explore potential ways to invest in Scale AI stock before the company pursues an IPO. Linqto* removes barriers to private markets and gives you access to invest in pre-IPO companies. Scale is recently available on the platform.
Table of Contents
Recent Scale AI News
03/06/2025: Scale AI is being investigated by the US DOL
01/23/2025: CNBC Video: Alexandr Wang on U.S.-China AI race
09/24/2024: Scale AI’s Sales Nearly 4X in First Half of 2024
07/08/2024: The Fuzzy Math Behind Scale AI’s Valuation
Older news…
About Scale AI
Scale AI is a data platform for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Its mission is to accelerate the development of AI applications.
The company’s data-centric, end-to-end solutions help its customers manage the “machine learning (ML) lifecycle” — annotate, manage, automate, evaluate, collect, and generate data.
Scale AI hires remote contractors worldwide to label data, including images, videos, and text. The labeled data helps to train machine learning models for applications like autonomous vehicles, computer vision, and natural language processing.
The high-quality datasets assembled in the data platform enable the advancement of AI initiatives in wide-ranging industries. Its diverse customer range includes Waymo, Toyota, Flexport, the U.S. Army, and Skydio, and Sam Altman’s OpenAI.
Founder and CEO Alexandr Wang dropped out of MIT to start Scale AI in 2016 at age 19. Scale AI was part of the July 2016 Y Combinator cohort.
Wang told TechCrunch in 2018:
Our goal is to be a pick axe in the AI gold rush. — Alexandr Wang
Here’s a video of a keynote address that Wang gave at the TransformX conference in 2022. The presentation is about applying AI to redefine every industry :
TransformX 2022 Keynote: Applying AI to Redefine Every Industry | Scale AI Product Announcements
Scale AI employs more than 600 people. Its headquarters are in San Francisco.
The Scale AI in this article is unrelated to a company by the same name based in Canada.
Ownership
Scale AI is a venture-backed private company. Shareowners include the founders, employees, and some of Silicon Valley’s most recognizable venture capital firms.
The company has raised over $1.6 billion in private funding.
The latest Series F funding round raised $1 billion and was completed in May 2024.
Prominent venture capital investors include Accel, Coatue, Dragoneer, Durable Capital, Founders Fund, Greekoaks Capital, Index Ventures, Spark Capital, Thrive Capital, Tiger Global, Wellington Management, Y Combinator, Cisco, Intel, AMD, ServiceNow, DFJ Growth, WCM, and Elad Gil.
Funding Rounds
| Round | Date | Est. Valuation | Raise Amount | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series F | 04/30/24 | 13.80B | $1.00B | $ 14.55 |
| Series E | 04/12/21 | $7.30B | $325.00M | $ 9.37 |
| Series D | 11/30/20 | $3.50B | $154.74M | $ 4.80 |
| Series C | 08/04/19 | $1000.00M | $100.00M | $ 1.46 |
| Series B | 05/03/18 | $93.50M | $18.50M | $ 0.16 |
| Accelerator/Incubator | 08/21/16 | NA | $120.00K | NA |
| Series A | 07/25/16 | $15.00M | $4.50M | $ 0.03 |
| Source: Caplight |
Valuation
The Scale AI valuation is $13.8 billion, as confirmed by the May 2024 Series F funding round.
Pre-IPO marketplaces Hiive and Caplight show transaction data supporting a $14.5 billion valuation as of December 2024.
IPO Potential
The Scale AI IPO date is currently unknown.
With the release of startup OpenAI’s ChatGPT to the public in late 2022, interest in artificial intelligence technologies has surpassed blockchain and cryptocurrency as the future-of-technology-de-jour.
There’s been little speculation that a Scale AI IPO is imminent. However, with the recent buzz surge in AI, pure-play companies like Scale AI may take advantage by raising money through a public offering.
Scale AI is approaching the two-year mark of its last fundraising activity. This could indicate that a new private funding round is near. If the company is generating enough cash flow to avoid another private funding round, the next step could be an IPO in the next 12-24 months.
However, it may pursue one last private round to boost its private valuation, positioning itself for a blockbuster IPO, enabling it to raise more money and reward early investors.
If the company decides to pursue a public listing, watch for reporting about exploring a possible IPO with investment banks or a confidential S-1 filing with the SEC.
Bookmark this page for the latest developments.
How to Invest in Scale AI Stock
Since Scale AI is a private company, it is challenging to become an equity owner today.
However, you can take action to improve your chances of early equity ownership or acquire shares in the eventual IPO.
Accredited investors may have an easier time via pre-IPO investing platforms.
1. Access Scale AI stock via pre-IPO investing platforms
The author has seen evidence of Scale AI stock being available on multiple pre-IPO platforms.
Investors can monitor pre-IPO investing platforms such as Hiive, EquityZen, Forge Global, and Linqto for share availability.
Minimums on these platforms range from $2,500 to $50,000 or more. Only accredited investors can invest on these platforms.
It’s free to sign up for online access to pre-IPO data, deal alerts, and indicate interest in startups not currently available.
Non-accredited retail investors can invest in venture capital funds like the Fundrise Innovation Fundto access pre-IPO startups.
Our comprehensive Innovation Fund review provides more information.
However, you cannot select individual pre-IPO companies, and Scale AI is not currently in the portfolio.
Check out our list of top pre-IPO investing platforms for current share availability across platforms.
Please note: This is a testimonial in partnership with Fundrise. We earn a commission from partner links on AccessIPOs.com. All opinions are my own.
2. Participate in the Scale AI IPO through a broker
Scale AI conducted a private funding round in May 2024, providing substantial funding for operations.
Multiple prominent venture capital firms have invested in Scale AI and will likely seek to liquidate ownership in the coming years when market conditions favor IPOs.
2025 looks to be a more promising year for IPOs, but it will take multiple successful high-profile public offerings to get young companies excited to go public.
AI is an extremely hot industry at the moment. Investors will line up to invest in the next group of AI-related startups, including Scale AI and Databricks.
IPO investors may find opportunities to invest during the IPO when it arrives — acquiring shares at the IPO price the day before the stock begins trading on the open market.
Once reserved for Wall Street’s wealthiest customers, IPO access has become more attainable to retail investors in the past few years.
The following online brokers give customers free access to IPOs, even with low account balances:
- TradeStation
- Robinhood
Brokers sometimes negotiate exclusive IPO share allocations for retail investors.
Access to specific high-demand IPOs may be limited by which brokerage accounts you have and what broker gets exclusive access.
TradeStation has a longer track record of accessing more than 360 IPOs and secondary offerings via its partnership with ClickIPO.
But Robinhood has the advantage of Silicon Valley networks and a history of getting allocations for high-profile IPOs.
Read the S-1 filings to find mentions of these online brokers to find opportunities.
Check out this list of best brokers for IPO investing to learn more about IPO access for retail investors.
3. Buy the stock after the IPO
Most investors will not acquire pre-IPO shares or receive an allocation during the IPO.
There are advantages to waiting for stocks to become publicly traded before owning them.
The IPO allows investors to review multiple sets of financials after a few quarters of reporting. Pre-IPO investing has limited financials available.
IPO stock prices typically rise with high-demand companies. You can benefit if you’re in early and sell when the price overheats.
But without IPO access, post-IPO investors may be tempted to acquire shares at inflated prices.
In 2021, for example, both Rivian and Robinhood became high-flying IPO stocks. But six months after the IPO, both stocks were more than 80% below their price peak.
Stock price declines after IPOs can be excellent entry points.
Avoid buying overvalued shares immediately after the IPO. Shares often fall after the IPO due to lockup expirations and quarterly earnings disappointments.
However, the most disruptive companies will be higher in a decade. Patience pays.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Scale AI Publicly Traded?
No. Scale AI is not publicly traded. It is private.
What is the Scale AI Stock Symbol?
There is no Scale AI stock symbol yet because it is a private company.
Here are a few Scale AI ticker suggestions that appear to be available in the U.S.:
- SCAL
- SCAI
- SLAI
What is the Scale AI Stock Price?
Since Scale AI is not publicly traded on a stock exchange, there is no public Scale AI stock price yet. Pre-IPO marketplace data can offer some guidance on current price.
The Series F round completed in May 2024 took place at $14.55 per share according to data provided by Caplight as of May 21st.
Caplight estimates the Scale AI stock price is about $14 per share as of December 2024.
Private transactions on the Hiive pre-IPO marketplace show shares traded hands on multiple occasions at $15.30 per share in Q4 2024.
Where can I find the Scale AI S-1 Filing?
Scale AI has yet to release an S-1 filing to the public. There is no evidence of a confidential S-1 filing yet.
The Scale AI IPO is not in the pipeline of likely IPOs yet.
News of a confidential or public S-1 filing would kick off the IPO process, suggesting the IPO could occur during the following two to six months.
When the company releases the S-1 filing to investors, we’ll link to and embed the document on this web page.
In the meantime, you can check out the most recent S-1 filings in our S-1 filings feed.
Scale AI News Archive
05/21/2024: Scale AI raises $1B as valuation doubles to $13.8B
03/28/2024: Scale AI Nears $13 Billion Valuation
02/02/2024 : Scale AI Scrapped TikTok Deal
10/22/2023: ScaleAI wants to be America’s AI arms dealer
08/24/2023: OpenAI partners with Scale AI
07/18/2023: Alexandr Wang Testifies Before Congress
04/11/2023: Alexandr Wang Scale AI Profile
01/10/2023: Scale AI cuts 20% of its workforce
02/02/2022: Scale AI gets into the synthetic data game
10/07/2021: Scale AI launches rapid data-labeling service
07/12/2021: Scale AI’s Rapid Growth Reflects Demand for Smart Software
12/01/2020: Scale AI hits $3.5B valuation
08/07/2018: Scale nabs $18M
Conclusion
Investors become interested in buying companies riding extraordinary macroeconomic trends (data, AI).
However, buying ownership in Scale AI before the IPO can prove difficult for retail investors, especially non-accredited ones.
Pre-IPO investing platforms have opened more opportunities for retail investors. But venture capital investing is still mostly reserved for accredited investors.
Investors will likely find it challenging to acquire shares before an IPO.
But if you are inclined to pursue IPO shares and early equity in Scale AI, maintain reasonable expectations. You’ll likely need to wait for the IPO, which could be years away.
Good luck if you wish to buy Scale AI stock before the IPO. Invest in pre-IPO and IPO companies at your own risk.
* This is a testimonial in partnership with Fundrise, Linqto, Hiive and other affiliate partners. We earn a commission from partner links on AccessIPOs.com. All opinions are my own. If you sign up with one of our partners through certain on this website, Access IPOs will be compensated at no additional cost to the reader. See the full disclosure here. Craig Stephens Craig Stephens is a former IT professional who left his 19-year consulting career at the IRS to be a full-time finance writer. A DIY investor since 1995, he started Access IPOs in 2016 to provide a resource for ordinary investors pursuing access to IPOs. Craig studied Finance at Michigan State University and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and three children. Learn more about Craig.
