Eightco Boosts OpenAI Stake to $90 Million

Edgen Stock·Mar 20 2026, 12:36

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Key Takeaways

Eightco Holdings has significantly increased its investment in OpenAI, solidifying its strategic shift into a public proxy for premier private technology assets. This move, backed by major institutional players like Bitmine and ARK Invest, positions the company at the nexus of artificial intelligence and the creator economy, though its stock performance remains highly volatile.

Eightco Holdings invested an additional $40 million in OpenAI, bringing its total stake to $90 million, which now represents 30% of its treasury.
The company is pivoting to an investment vehicle for AI and blockchain, supported by a recent $125 million funding round from institutions including Bitmine and ARK Invest.
Bitmine Chairman Tom Lee joined Eightco's board and ARK's Brett Winton became an advisor, signaling strong institutional confidence in the company's new direction.

ORBS Deepens OpenAI Bet to $90M, Cementing AI Pivot

Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS) solidified its transformation into a public investment vehicle for frontier technology, announcing on March 20, 2026, an additional $40 million investment into OpenAI. The move increases its total stake in the artificial intelligence leader to $90 million, a figure that now constitutes approximately 30% of the company's entire treasury position. This establishes ORBS as the only publicly listed company offering retail investors direct equity exposure to the highly-anticipated OpenAI.

This latest investment follows a broader strategic realignment financed by a $125 million funding round earlier in the month. Crypto treasury firm Bitmine led the round with a $75 million commitment, with ARK Invest and Payward, Kraken's parent company, each contributing $25 million. The capital injection supported Eightco’s initial $50 million investment in OpenAI and a separate $25 million stake in Beast Industries, the company led by creator James Donaldson, known as MrBeast.

Institutional Backing Fuels 11.7% Stock Gain

The strategic shift is underscored by the addition of high-profile figures to Eightco's leadership. Tom Lee, Chairman of Bitmine, has joined the board of directors, while Brett Winton, Chief Futurist at ARK Invest, has been appointed as a board advisor. These appointments signal significant institutional validation of Eightco's strategy to build a portfolio centered on AI, blockchain, and digital content platforms.

Following the announcement of its new funding and strategy, shares in Eightco rose 11.67% to end the trading day at $0.90. However, the move comes after a difficult period for the stock, which remains down over 92% in the last six months. This positions ORBS as a high-risk, high-reward play on the convergence of disruptive technologies, offering public market access to assets previously reserved for private investors.