ORBS Doubles Down: A Crypto Fund Now Holds a 30% Slice of OpenAI's Treasury

Eightco Holdings, trading under the ticker ORBS, has decided to double down on its AI crush, funneling another $40 million into OpenAI. This fresh infusion of capital brings its total commitment to a cool $90 million—effectively putting about 30% of OpenAI's treasury into the hands of a crypto-powered retail fund. It's a move that lets the degen on the street get a taste of a private AI giant, an arena previously reserved for VCs in Patagonia vests.

CEO Kevin O'Donnell called the play a "transformative opportunity," which is corporate-speak for "we're going all-in so you don't have to." He reiterated the firm's mission to democratize access to high-growth private companies, proving that sometimes, the "democratization of finance" means letting retail hold the bag for institutions.

This latest OpenAI top-up comes hot on the heels of a $125 million fundraising round that saw heavyweights like Ethereum-treasury specialist BitMine Immersion Technologies, Kraken's parent Payward, and Cathie Wood's Ark Invest all chip in. As part of the deal, BitMine chairman and Myriad angel investor Tom Lee has joined ORBS's board, presumably to help navigate between AI hype cycles and crypto winters.

Looking beyond AI, Eightco's balance sheet reads like a degen's dream portfolio. It's sitting on 11,068 ETH (worth about $23.6 million) and another $76 million in cash and stablecoins. Its most audacious punt, however, is on Worldcoin (WLD), with a staggering 277,222,975 tokens—nearly 10% of the circulating supply—valued at roughly $89.2 million. That's not a bet; it's a marriage.

Last year, the firm raised $250 million specifically to build a digital-asset treasury focused on Worldcoin. That announcement sent ORBS shares on a legendary, meme-worthy pump of up to 5,000%, hitting a 52-week high of $83.12. Like all good parties, the hangover was brutal; the stock now languishes around $0.90, down more than 93% in the past six months. The chart looks less like a growth trajectory and more like a cliff dive.

In essence, ORBS is putting all its chips on the AI-crypto convergence, praying that the combined speculative frenzy of both sectors can offset the recent share-price catastrophe. It's a high-stakes game where the only guarantee is volatility.