Anthropic Nears $170 Billion Valuation with Potential $5 Billion Funding Round

Anthropic reportedly nears $170B valuation with potential $5B round | TechCrunch

Anthropic is nearing a deal to raise between $3 billion and $5 billion in funding, valuing the large language model developer at $170 billion, Bloomberg reported. Iconiq Capital is leading this funding round, but there's a possibility of a second lead investor joining the deal. The company has also been in talks with Qatar Investment Authority and GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, according to the report. If finalized, the deal would nearly triple Anthropic's valuation, which was $61.5 billion after a $3.5 billion funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners announced in March. Other participants in the startup's last round included Bessemer Venture Partners, Cisco Investments, D1 Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research Company, General Catalyst, Jane Street, Menlo Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures. Despite its mission as a safety-conscious AI model developer, Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei recently confessed in a memo to employees, reported by Wired, that he's "not thrilled" about taking money from sovereign wealth funds of dictatorial governments. To keep pace with the massive capital requirements of developing AI models, the company has been forced to turn to Middle Eastern capital. "Unfortunately, I think 'No bad person should ever benefit from our success' is a pretty difficult principle to run a business on," Amodei wrote in a leaked memo. Anthropic didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Anthropic Nears Deal to Raise Funding at $170 Billion Valuation

Anthropic is nearing a deal to raise as much as $5 billion in a new round of funding that would value the artificial intelligence startup at $170 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. Investment firm Iconiq Capital is leading the round, which is expected to total between $3 billion and $5 billion, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private information. Anthropic has also been in discussions with the Qatar Investment Authority and Singapore's sovereign fund GIC about participating in the round, the person said.

Anthropic in talks to raise fresh capital at $170 billion valuation

Anthropic is in talks to raise between $3 billion and $5 billion in a funding round led by Iconiq Capital that would value the artificial intelligence startup at $170 billion, CNBC has confirmed. The OpenAI competitor has been reeling in billions of dollars at a rapidly increasing valuation reflecting investors' thirst for a piece in the fastest growing AI companies. In March, Anthropic closed a $3.5 billion round at a $61.5 billion, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Bloomberg was first to report on the latest talks, which CNBC confirmed with a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named due to confidentiality. Late last week, the Financial Times pegged Anthropic's upcoming valuation at closer to $150 billion, following talks with a number of investors from the Middle East. A leaked memo shared with Wired indicates that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is reversing course on Middle East funding. He wrote that it's become "substantially harder to stay on the frontier" of AI development without tapping Gulf sovereign wealth, despite previously warning about the national security risks of granting "soft power" to authoritarian regimes. CNBC reported last year that Anthropic was refusing to take funds from Saudi Arabia as it lined up new investors. Rivals are also turning to the Middle East. OpenAI still has $30 billion left to raise as part of its planned $40 billion round, and is working with Emirati firm G42 to build a massive data center in Abu Dhabi. OpenAI's latest funding valued the company at about $300 billion.

Report: Anthropic Raising $5B At A $170B Valuation As AI Funding Heats Up

Anthropic, a ChatGPT rival with its AI assistant Claude, is nearing the close of a new $5 billion funding round that would value it at a staggering $170 billion, per Bloomberg. Iconiq Capital is believed to be leading the round, with a potential investment of about $1 billion. Anthropic has also reportedly been in discussions with the Qatar Investment Authority and Singapore's sovereign fund GIC about participating in the round alongside potentially existing backer Amazon. San Francisco-based Anthropic was last valued at $61.5 billion when it raised $3.5 billion in March, compared to an $18.5 billion valuation in February 2024. So in fewer than 18 months, Anthropic will have increased its valuation by 9x. The latest round would value Anthropic at more than Elon Musk's xAI, which was estimated to be valued at $113 billion after merging with social media platform X. However, the new round values Anthropic well behind OpenAI, which in late March raised $40 billion in a funding round led by SoftBank at a $300 billion valuation. Overall, Anthropic will have secured $25.7 billion in funding, including debt financing, since its January 2021 inception, per Crunchbase data. Other existing backers include General Catalyst, Menlo Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Google and Lightspeed Venture Partners. It's been a busy week for Iconiq Capital, which is also believed to be leading a $200 million round at a valuation of more than $4.5 billion into San Francisco-based Quince, an affordable luxury brand online retailer.

Anthropic set to triple in value to $170bn after new raise

The round would rank Anthropic among some of the most valuable private tech companies. Anthropic is set to raise as much as $5bn in a round led by global investment firm Iconiq Capital which would value the start-up at $170bn, Bloomberg reported yesterday (29 July). This would nearly triple the artificial intelligence (AI) company's value in four months and rank it among some of the most valuable private technology companies in the world including rival OpenAI which is valued at $300bn, the Chinese TikTok-owner ByteDance at $312bn and SpaceX, which stands at about $400bn. The round is set to raise between $3bn to $5bn with Iconiq in talks to invest $1bn into Anthropic, according to sources. Just days ago, reports emerged that Anthropic was involved in discussions for a new raise with a number of large Middle Eastern investors, including the United Arab Emirates state investment fund MGX. Iconiq, however, is based in San Francisco, and has more than $80bn assets under management. Its wide-ranging portfolio includes Airbnb, Go Fund Me, Databricks, UK online bank Monzo, Uber and Zoom. Anthropic raised $3.5bn in a Series E funding round in March, taking the four-year-old start-up to a $61.5bn post-raise valuation. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and saw participation from several big name investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Cisco Investments, Fidelity Management and Research Company and General Catalyst. The start-up has also seen massive support from the likes of Google, which reportedly pumped more than $1bn into the start-up, as well as Amazon, which has invested $8bn into Anthropic over the years. A month after the March raise, Anthropic announced plans to create more than 100 new jobs across its European offices, with a primary focus on hiring in Dublin and London. The company opened its first EU office last year in Dublin, aiming at a European expansion. While in May, the start-up released its Claude 4 models and claimed that Claude Opus 4 was the "best coding model in the world". Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Reports: Anthropic set to triple in value to $170bn after new raise

The round would rank Anthropic among some of the most valuable private tech companies. Anthropic is set to raise as much as $5bn in a round led by global investment firm Iconiq Capital which would value the start-up at $170bn, Bloomberg reported yesterday (29 July). This would nearly triple the artificial intelligence company's value in four months and rank it among some of the most valuable private technology companies in the world including rival OpenAI at $300bn, the Chinese TikTok-owner ByteDance at $312bn and SpaceX, which stands at $400bn. The round is set to raise between $3bn to $5bn with Iconiq alone investing $1bn into Anthropic, according to sources. Just days ago, reports emerged that Anthropic was involved in discussions for a new raise with a number of large Middle Eastern investors, including the United Arab Emirates' state investment fund MGX. Iconiq, however, is based out of San Francisco, and has more than $80bn assets under management. Its wide ranging portfolio includes Airbnb, Go Fund Me, Databricks, UK online bank Monzo, Uber and Zoom. Anthropic raised $3.5bn in a Series E funding round earlier this March, taking the four-year-old start-up to a $61.5bn post-raise valuation. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and saw participation from several big name investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Cisco Investments, Fidelity Management and Research Company and General Catalyst. The start-up has also seen massive support from the likes of Google, which reportedly pumped more than $1bn into the start-up, as well as Amazon, which invested $8bn into Anthropic over the years. A month following the March raise, Anthropic announced plans to create more than 100 new jobs across its European offices, with a primary focus on hiring in Dublin and London. The company opened its first EU office last year in Dublin, aiming at a European expansion. While in May, the start-up released its Claude Sonnet 4 models and claimed that the Claude Opus 4 was the "best coding model in the world". Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Anthropic Eyes $170 Billion Valuation

Anthropic, maker of the popular AI model Claude, is reportedly raising another $5 billion in its latest funding round. The round -- which is expected to close this September -- would bring the AI company's value to a staggering $170 billion, and per Bloomberg, is being led by Iconiq Capital alongside the Qatar Investment Authority, Singapore's sovereign fund, and Amazon. Anthropic, which was founded by former OpenAI employees, Dario and Daniela Amodei, stakes its business on being the ethical alternative to OpenAI, emphasizing trust, safety, and the responsible development of AI. It does so by instilling its AI with explicit values, determined by Claude's constitution. The company's co-founder and CEO, Dario Amodei, previously warned of the dangers of "AI-powered authoritarianism" and the possibility that the technology would be used to perpetuate human rights abuses. But earlier this month, Wired reported that the company will seek investments from the very Gulf States known for perpetuating human rights abuses. Amodei reportedly acknowledged the company would be accused of hypocrisy, but stated, "It's perfectly consistent to advocate for a policy of 'No one is allowed to do x,' but then if that policy fails and everyone else does X, to reluctantly do x ourselves." That emphasis on ethics has brought Anthropic's model development to peculiar places. In May, Nieman Lab reported that, when testing its latest AI model, Opus 4, on a hypothetical issue of fraud, the AI turned into a whistleblower and attempted to leak information to the investigative journalism outlet ProPublica. That same model, however, also tried to blackmail one of Anthropic's engineers. In terms of ethics, it seems like, for now, it's a wash.

Anthropic nears funding at $170 billion value as revenue surges - The Economic Times

Anthropic is reportedly close to securing a substantial funding round, potentially reaching $5 billion, which would elevate the AI startup's valuation to $170 billion. Iconiq Capital is expected to lead the investment, with participation from other major players like Lightspeed Venture Partners.Anthropic is nearing a deal to raise as much as $5 billion in a new round of funding that would value the artificial intelligence startup at $170 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. Investment firm Iconiq Capital is leading the round, which is expected to total between $3 billion and $5 billion, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private information. Iconiq is in talks to invest about $1 billion in the deal, some of the people said. Anthropic has also been in discussions with the Qatar Investment Authority and Singapore's sovereign fund GIC about participating in the round, the person said. Other potential investors include Amazon.com Inc., which previously bet billions on the company. As the most recent funding talks came together, Anthropic's sales have surged. The company was generating about $4 billion in annual recurring revenue earlier this month, Bloomberg previously reported. By the end of July, that number had climbed to about $5 billion, according to one of the people. The company expects its recurring revenue could hit $9 billion by the end of this year. The new financing would mark a significant jump in valuation for the company and cement its status as one of the world's leading AI developers. Anthropic was valued at $61.5 billion in a $3.5 billion round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners earlier this year. Lightspeed is also participating in the new round, according to a person familiar with the matter. Other VCs in talks to participate include Menlo Ventures and Alkeon Capital Management. The company is taking checks no smaller than $200 million in the deal. The financing may ultimately involve a second lead investor, one person said. The discussions are still being finalized and the details could change. Anthropic, Iconiq, GIC, Lightspeed, Amazon and Menlo Ventures declined to comment. Representatives for QIA and Alkeon did not immediately respond to requests for comment Anthropic, founded in 2021 by former employees of OpenAI, has positioned itself as a reliable, safety-conscious firm that users can trust. The new funding will fuel Anthropic's competition with OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, each of which has raised billions in capital this year to finance their investments in data centers and talent for building AI models. OpenAI was most recently valued at $300 billion, including money raised. Musk is said to be seeking a valuation of as much as $200 billion for xAI. Leading large-language model developers like OpenAI and xAI have previously turned to deep-pocketed Middle Eastern backers such as Abu Dhabi's MGX for funding. Sovereign wealth funds typically have far more assets at their disposal to invest than traditional venture capital firms. In a recent memo to employees, first reported by Wired, Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei acknowledged the need to raise funds from the Middle East after having previously voiced concerns about taking money from authoritarian countries. "Unfortunately, I think 'No bad person should ever benefit from our success' is a pretty difficult principle to run a business on," he wrote.

Anthropic Seeks $170 Billion Valuation in Iconiq-Led Funding Round | PYMNTS.com

The artificial intelligence (AI) startup's funding round is set to be led by Iconiq Capital, an investment group that manages the wealth of Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, the Financial Times (FT) reported Tuesday (July 29), citing unnamed sources. Iconiq Capital submitted the proposed terms for the funding round to Anthropic, according to the report. Anthropic did not immediately reply to PYMNTS' request for comment. According to the FT report, a $170 billion valuation would make Anthropic one of the world's most valuable private tech companies, behind OpenAI's $300 billion valuation and SpaceX's $400 billion valuation. Reports of the valuation sought by Anthropic have increased over the last couple of weeks. Earlier reports, which noted that the talks around the funding round were in their early stages, said Friday (July 25) that the company aimed for a $150 billion valuation, and said July 16 that it was looking for a $100 billion valuation. Anthropic gained a $61.5 billion post-money valuation in its most recent funding round, which was announced in March and raised $3.5 billion. The company said at the time in a press release that businesses have integrated its large language model (LLM), Claude, to perform tasks like turning natural language into code, assisting tax professionals, accelerating the writing of clinical study reports and helping power Amazon's Alexa+. Anthropic introduced its first industry-specific service, Claude for Financial Services, on July 15, saying this is an out-of-the-box generative AI solution tailored to analysts, portfolio managers and underwriters at large financial institutions. "Where we saw a lot of traction early on was with these high-trust industries," Jonathan "JP" Pelosi, head of FSI at Anthropic, told PYMNTS at the time in an interview. "Our models, our solutions, are just very well positioned to help these firms." According to Tuesday's FT report, Anthropic's annual recurring revenue has quadrupled since the beginning of the year, reaching $4 billion. The company has also benefited from investor interest in AI startups.