Jeff Bezos leads $72M investment in AI startup Toloka to fuel human-AI collaboration

Jeff Bezos is throwing his weight behind a rising AI player. His personal investment firm, Bezos Expeditions, is leading a $72 million round in Toloka, an AI startup that trains and evaluates AI models using real human input.

Bezos isn’t the only notable backer. Shopify CTO Mikhail Parakhin is also joining the round and will take on the role of executive chairman on the company’s board. Toloka will use the fresh capital infusion to scale its operations, particularly in the U.S.

“The investment marks a pivotal step in Toloka’s evolution, and will enable the company to scale rapidly and sharpen its strategic focus amid accelerating global demand for reliable, high-quality AI data solutions,” the company said in a news release.

Toloka Raises $72M to Expand AI Model Training with Human Experts

Toloka is part of Amsterdam-based Nebius Group, which spun off from Russian tech giant Yandex after a $5.4 billion deal finalized last year. That split marked the biggest corporate break from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Toloka has worked with some of the biggest names in tech—Amazon, Microsoft, and Anthropic—offering data services that rely on crowdsourced human testers.

“Attracting world-class strategic investors like Jeff and Mikhail is a strong endorsement of the quality of Toloka’s business and leadership. As enthusiastic backers of Olga and the outstanding Toloka team since day one, we believe this is the best way for Toloka to accelerate its growth and capitalize on the enormous opportunities of the AI revolution. Nebius remains committed to Toloka’s long-term success, and we are excited to be part of what comes next,” Arkady Volozh, founder and CEO of Nebius Group, said.

Commenting on the funding, Olga Megorskaya, founder and CEO of Toloka, said:

“This investment marks a pivotal moment for Toloka as we enter a new phase of growth. With strong financial backing from strategic investors who deeply understand the AI landscape, we’re now positioned to significantly scale our technological innovations at the critical intersection of human expertise and AI capabilities.”

The company’s pitch is simple: humans are still essential for making sure AI outputs are accurate, reliable, and usable. “There will always be the need for control, verification, and help from human experts to ensure that the result is actually of high quality,” Toloka CEO Olga Megorskaya told Reuters.

Bezos’ involvement is a major moment for Toloka. Until recently, the company likely wouldn’t have attracted U.S. investors because of sanctions tied to its previous Russian connections. The investment gives Toloka breathing room—and credibility—as it tries to grow outside Europe.

Nvidia was another big name in a previous $700 million round raised by Nebius last year.

Megorskaya said this round isn’t just about capital—it’s about freedom. While Nebius will still hold a majority financial stake in Toloka, it’s stepping back from voting control, giving Toloka more room to operate independently. The company is already eyeing another future raise.

Bezos Expeditions didn’t comment on the deal.