Physix Frontier
Microsoft
Funding History
- Post-IPO Strategic InvestmentUSD 1B — Invested USD 1B in OpenAI for AGI development; subsequently continued to increase investment, becoming OpenAI's most important provider of computing power and capital support.
- Post-IPO First Major Bond IssuanceUSD 4.8B — Microsoft entered the bond market on a large scale for the first time, issuing multi-tenor notes during a period of historically low interest rates for general corporate purposes and shareholder returns.
- IPOUSD 61M — IPO price: $21.00; Market cap at listing: USD 519M (some sources cite USD 777M); Shares issued: ~3M shares (~8% of company); Lock-up period: Standard 180-day lock-up | Source: Prospectus/Exchange disclosures
- Series A RoundUSD 1M — Amount: USD 1M ($1,000,000); Post-money valuation: Approximately USD 20M; Led by: Technology Venture Investors (TVI) | The motivation for this round was very special: the company did not lack cash at the time. In 1981, Microsoft's revenue was USD 17.33M, and MS-DOS licensing fees were growing exponentially. Gates' true purpose in accepting this money was threefold—① bringing experienced investors onto the board; ② professionalizing the company structure; ③ preparing for a future IPO. Most of the USD 1M remained untouched in the bank. This is a classic case of 'strategic financing' rather than 'survival financing'. | Source: Eqvista 'Pre-IPO Cap Table: Microsoft Corporation'
- Founder Self-FundingUndisclosed — Amount: Personal funds (undisclosed); —; Led by: Bill Gates / Paul Allen | The company was founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with the name synthesized from microcomputer + software. The first product was a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800. In 1976, there were 6 employees and revenue of USD 22,496; in 1977, USD 381,715; in 1978, sales exceeded one million (USD 1,355,655). The company was profitable from day one. | Source: Microsoft News 'Facts About Microsoft'