Stripe, Anthropic and OpenAI are backing an effort to stop respiratory infections

Stripe announced on March 13, 2024, its commitment to fund a new $500 million nonprofit organization named Intercept, dedicated to preventing respiratory infections like the common cold and flu, with the long-term goal of eradicating respiratory viruses. The initiative, co-led by Stripe executive Nan Ransohoff and venture capitalist Charlie Petty, will allocate funds to prevention strategies including vaccine development and large-scale air purification systems for public spaces such as schools and offices. Additional financial backing for Intercept comes from Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation, Flu Lab, Bill Gates, and several traders from the quantitative investing fund Jane Street Capital, as confirmed by an Intercept spokesperson. Ransohoff highlighted that respiratory infections are often underestimated as a societal burden, noting that the average person spends approximately 5% of their lifetime battling colds or the flu. The challenge in developing preventative measures, particularly vaccines, is compounded by the fact that over 200 different viruses, with rhinoviruses being the most prevalent, cause the common cold, making it economically less attractive for pharmaceutical companies compared to other research areas. This effort by Stripe follows its previous organization of a $1.8 billion program called Frontier, aimed at advancing carbon removal technology to combat climate change.