Anthropic's Ambitious Fundraising and Revenue Projections Highlight Intense AI Startup Competition
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AI Startups: Anthropic Nears OpenAI in Fundraises but Lags Far Behind in Adoption | PYMNTS.com
Anthropic, the AI startup founded by former OpenAI engineers, is in talks to raise up to $2 billion for a valuation of $60 billion. The latest round would more than triple the artificial intelligence startup's valuation from a year ago. Leading the round is Lightspeed Venture Partners. If it comes to pass, the fundraise would make Anthropic the fifth most valuable U.S. startup, following SpaceX, OpenAI, Stripe and Databricks, according to CB Insights. It would be the seventh most valuable globally after SpaceX, ByteDance, OpenAI, Stripe, Shein and Databricks. The latest deal would bring Anthropic's total haul since its 2021 founding to $16.7 billion, with Amazon pouring in $8 billion and at least $3 billion from Google, according to startup database Crunchbase. That compares with OpenAI's total fundraise thus far of nearly $21.9 billion. OpenAI has raised 31% more than Anthropic thus far. But if traffic to its AI chatbots is any indication of market popularity, OpenAI is attracting an order of magnitude more traffic -- more bang per venture capital buck. According to a research report from Bank of America Global Research, ChatGPT's global traffic was 128 million in January while Anthropic's Claude had 2.5 million. That is 51 times more traffic for ChatGPT than Claude while only raising 31% more funding. When it comes to AI model adoption, OpenAI's family of AI models is still heads above everyone else: 63% of organizations use OpenAI technologies in the cloud compared with 31% for Anthropic, according to report by cloud security company Wiz. DeepSeek's deeply discounted AI model is a new competitor in the AI landscape. According to Wiz, DeepSeek prompted a "surge" in adoption, with its newest model getting 130,000 downloads on Hugging Face, an open-source code repository. For organizations not hosting their AI models in the cloud but on premises, about 7% are using DeepSeek models -- more than doubling adoption just in January alone, according to the report. OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever is in talks to raise funding for his startup that would give it a valuation of $20 billion or more, according to Reuters. It is not clear how much capital his startup, Safe Superintelligence, will get. Sutskever was one of the founding members of OpenAI. But he left in May 2024 following a corporate boardroom fight that led to the firing of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in November 2023. Sutskever, a board member who oversaw AI safety, was the one who told Altman he was being removed. The board cited Altman's not being "consistently candid" as the reason for the firing. But after an outcry from investors and employees, Altman was reinstated. Sutskever would later resign. Another safety researcher, Jan Leike, quit shortly after. He said on X that he was concerned AI safety was taking a backset to innovation and growth at OpenAI. Last September, Safe Superintelligence said it has raised $1 billion. Backers include NFDG, a16z, Sequoia, DST Global, and SV Angel. Sutskever's latest fundraise stands in contrast to the startup founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, who resigned last September. She was in talks to raise $100 million, according to Reuters.
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Anthropic Projects Up to USD 34.5 Billion in Revenue in 2027: Report
AI startup Anthropic expects its revenue to reach as high as USD 34.5 billion by 2027, according to The Information. The company's base case scenario projects USD 12 billion in revenue that year, up from USD 2.2 billion in 2025, according to the report. Also Read: Google Further Invests USD 1 Billion in Anthropic: Report Anthropic told investors it plans to burn USD 3 billion in 2025, significantly lower than USD 5.6 billion in 2024, and aims to become cash flow positive by 2027, the report said. The AI startup offers access to its models both directly and via third-party cloud services like Amazon Web Services. Developing large language models demands significant computing resources and high costs. Also Read: Anthropic, Palantir, and AWS Partner to Bring Claude AI Models to US Defense Operations In January, Reuters reported that Anthropic is close to securing a USD 2 billion funding deal, which would value the company at USD 60 billion, following its recent USD 4 billion investment from Amazon. Also Read: Anthropic Unveils New AI Model with Computer Use Capability The launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI in November 2022 sparked an AI arms race. Fueled by substantial funding rounds from companies like Anthropic and xAI, AI startups made up nearly half of all venture capital raised in the US last year, according to PitchBook data.
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Anthropic, an AI startup, is nearing a $2 billion funding round that could value it at $60 billion. The company projects revenues up to $34.5 billion by 2027, showcasing the rapid growth and intense competition in the AI sector.
Anthropic's Meteoric Rise in AI Funding
Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup founded by former OpenAI engineers, is on the verge of a significant funding milestone. The company is in talks to raise up to $2 billion, potentially valuing it at $60 billion 1. This latest round, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, would more than triple Anthropic's valuation from just a year ago, positioning it as the fifth most valuable U.S. startup and the seventh globally 1.
Funding Race: Anthropic vs. OpenAI
Since its founding in 2021, Anthropic has amassed an impressive $16.7 billion in total funding, including substantial investments of $8 billion from Amazon and at least $3 billion from Google 1. This puts Anthropic in close competition with OpenAI, which has raised nearly $21.9 billion to date. The funding race highlights the intense competition and high stakes in the AI sector.
Adoption and Market Traction
Despite the close funding figures, OpenAI maintains a significant lead in market adoption and popularity. According to a Bank of America Global Research report, OpenAI's ChatGPT saw 128 million global visits in January, compared to just 2.5 million for Anthropic's Claude 1. This disparity is further reflected in organizational adoption, with 63% of organizations using OpenAI technologies in the cloud versus 31% for Anthropic 1.
Ambitious Revenue Projections
Anthropic's fundraising efforts are backed by ambitious revenue projections. The company expects its revenue to reach as high as $34.5 billion by 2027, with a base case scenario of $12 billion, up from $2.2 billion in 2025 2. These projections underscore the potential for rapid growth in the AI industry.
Financial Strategy and Profitability Goals
As part of its growth strategy, Anthropic plans to significantly reduce its cash burn. The company aims to decrease spending from $5.6 billion in 2024 to $3 billion in 2025, with the goal of becoming cash flow positive by 2027 2. This financial discipline, coupled with its revenue projections, demonstrates Anthropic's commitment to sustainable growth in a highly competitive market.
Emerging Competitors and Industry Dynamics
The AI landscape is evolving rapidly, with new entrants like DeepSeek gaining traction. DeepSeek's discounted AI model has seen a surge in adoption, with 130,000 downloads on Hugging Face and increasing on-premises use by organizations 1. This highlights the dynamic nature of the AI market and the potential for disruption.
Key Personnel Movements and New Ventures
The AI startup ecosystem is also witnessing significant personnel movements. Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist, is reportedly raising funds for his new startup, Safe Superintelligence, potentially valuing it at $20 billion or more 1. These developments underscore the ongoing focus on AI safety and the potential for new innovations in the field.
As the AI arms race continues, with startups like Anthropic and xAI leading the charge, the sector's importance in the venture capital landscape is clear. AI startups accounted for nearly half of all venture capital raised in the US last year, according to PitchBook data 2, indicating sustained investor confidence in the transformative potential of AI technologies.
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