Perplexity AI, the developer of an AI-powered search engine, has announced the launch of a $50 million venture fund to invest in early-stage artificial intelligence startups in the U.S. The fund will focus on pre-seed and seed investments, with Perplexity acting as an anchor investor, while the majority of the capital will come from external limited partners. The fund, named Perplexity F7 Fund, will be managed by general partners Kelly Graziadei and Joanna Lee Shevelenko, who have previously co-founded the early-stage venture firm F7 Ventures. This initiative aligns with Perplexity's strategy to leverage its network of 80,000 developers and API usage insights to identify promising startups. Perplexity, which raised $500 million at a $9 billion valuation in December 2024 and reportedly received a $15 billion valuation offer, has positioned itself as a competitor to Google in the AI-driven search engine market. The company aims to support innovation in the AI sector through this fund.