PeopleofSuperintelligence

Builder

Erik Bernhardsson

As of October 2026, Erik Bernhardsson is chief executive of Modal Labs, which provides infrastructure that helps AI companies access the computing chips needed to run inference workloads. At Spotify he helped build the music recommendation system and open-sourced Luigi and Annoy. From 2015 to 2021 he ran the 300-person tech team at Better.com, a company rethinking how mortgages are done. He co-founded Modal in January 2021 with Akshat Bubna. The company raised an $87 million Series B in September 2025 and a $355 million Series C in May 2026, at a $4.65 billion valuation.

Now at
Modal Labs

Timeline

  1. 2008–2015

    Music recommendations at Spotify

    He interns at Spotify in 2008 and later helps build its music recommendation system. There he open-sources Luigi and Annoy.

  2. 2015–2021

    Running the tech team at Better.com

    From 2015 to 2021 he runs the 300-person tech team at Better.com, a company rethinking how mortgages are done.

  3. January 2021

    Co-founding Modal Labs

    He co-founds Modal Labs with Akshat Bubna in January 2021.

  4. October 2023

    A $16 million Series A

    Modal announces a $16 million Series A round in October 2023.

  5. September 2025

    An $87 million Series B

    Lux Capital leads an $87 million Series B in September 2025, valuing Modal at $1.1 billion.

  6. May 2026

    A $355 million Series C

    Redpoint Ventures and General Catalyst lead a $355 million Series C in May 2026, valuing Modal at $4.65 billion.

  7. As of October 2026

    Chief executive of Modal Labs

    He is chief executive of Modal Labs, which provides infrastructure that helps AI companies access the computing chips needed to run inference workloads.

Sources and credits

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  1. I'm featured in Mashable · Erik Bernhardsson erikbern.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. The Right Track | Ep. #9, The Argument for Less Specialization with Erik Bernhardsson of Modal Labs | Heavybit heavybit.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. About · Erik Bernhardsson erikbern.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. Report: Modal Business Breakdown & Founding Story | Contrary Research research.contrary.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. Company | Modal modal.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. Press release: Modal Labs announces Series A financing round modal.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. Swedish Modal raises $87M Series B, hits unicorn valuation with AI-native cloud platform – BeBeez International bebeez.eu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  8. Modal Raises $87 Million in Series B thesaasnews.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  9. Modal Labs: $355 Million Raised At $4.65 Billion Valuation For AI Infrastructure Platform pulse2.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  10. Modal Labs Raises $355M at $4.65B Valuation | Let's Data Science letsdatascience.com. Checked 15 October 2026.