Anthropic and Hg Plan European AI Consultancy to Deploy Engineers in Businesses by End of 2026

Anthropic and Hg Partnership Targets European Market

Anthropic is backing a new European AI consultancy with Hg, the London-based private equity firm, according to reports from the Financial Times1

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. The independent company will place AI engineers and consultants inside businesses to help them build and deploy the technology. The venture is expected to launch by the end of 2026, with offices in London and Berlin2

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. Its main targets will be software companies selling to businesses, along with other white-collar industries.

AI Deployment Strategy Takes Shape

The consultancy's engineers will help companies design new AI-powered products or support projects already under way. The firm will also work with businesses owned by Hg, according to people familiar with the plans1

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. Anthropic will fund its share of the venture from its own balance sheet, while Hg will invest through the funds it manages, including the London-listed HgCapital Trust. This move would mark Anthropic's first investment in a standalone AI consultancy in Europe1

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Building on Existing Collaboration

Hg announced in September that it extended its existing collaboration with Anthropic to bring agentic AI capabilities to Hg's portfolio companies. The Anthropic and Hg partnership had already been working together for three years on initiatives that include a joint AI hackathon series and staff enablement within Hg's own business2

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. "Hg backed the shift toward agentic AI early, and the relationship we have built with Anthropic is central to that," Hg Co-CEOs Steve Batchelor and JB Brian said in September2

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Hg already employs around 150 AI specialists who help introduce the technology across its portfolio. The new consultancy is expected to operate alongside that team, rather than replace it1

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. This structure allows AI engineers in European enterprises to access both internal expertise and dedicated consultancy support.

Following the US Playbook

The plan follows a model Anthropic has already pursued in the US. Earlier this year, it established Ode, a services company backed by Blackstone and Hellman & Friedman, with $1.5 billion in planned investment. Goldman Sachs and Apollo Global were among the other investors1

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. Anthropic partnered in May with Goldman Sachs, investment firm Blackstone and private equity group Hellman & Friedman to launch a venture that helps enterprise companies embed the Claude AI model into their businesses2

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OpenAI has taken a similar approach. In May, it launched the OpenAI Deployment Company with private equity firms TPG, Advent, Bain Capital and Brookfield. It was reported that OpenAI committed up to $1.5 billion for this venture, with TPG, Bain Capital, Advent International, Brookfield and Goanna Capital investing an additional $4 billion2

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Competing with Established Players

These ventures bring AI developers into more direct competition with established IT consultancies, including Accenture and the Big Four accounting firms: Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC. Advising businesses on technology AI adoption in businesses is already a major source of revenue for those companies1

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. Monthly job listings for forward-deployed engineers had increased by more than 800% between January and September 2025, showing how quickly companies are creating roles focused on implementing AI systems inside enterprises2

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Strategic Timing and Revenue Considerations

For Anthropic, the European venture would also open another route to revenue as it spends heavily on data centres ahead of a planned stock market listing. The Financial Times reported last week that the company's revenue growth slowed in the third quarter1

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. This consultancy model offers a pathway to diversify income streams while maintaining control over how its technology gets deployed across Europe. Watch for announcements on specific industry verticals the consultancy will target and whether other private equity firms in Europe follow suit with similar AI deployment partnerships.