Blackstone boosts stake in Anthropic to $1 billion as AI startup hits $350 billion valuation

Blackstone boosts stake in AI startup Anthropic to about $1 billion, source says

Feb 10 (Reuters) - Blackstone (BX.N), opens new tab is increasing its investment in the Claude chatbot maker Anthropic, raising its stake to about $1 billion at a valuation of roughly $350 billion, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. AI startups continue to attract heavy funding from global investors, driven by expectations of rapid growth and widespread commercial adoption. The world's largest alternative asset manager is investing an additional $200 million as part of Anthropic's ongoing funding round, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter is private. The latest investment values the Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab and Alphabet-backed (GOOGL.O), opens new tab startup at $350 billion, reflecting strong investor appetite for leading generative AI companies. Blackstone and Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Anthropic, which develops the Claude family of AI models, launched a new flagship system called Opus 4.6 last week, as it steps up efforts to deliver more advanced tools for enterprise and consumer use. The company said the new model offers improved reasoning, coding and complex text-generation capabilities compared with earlier versions. Opus 4.6 is also designed to work on tasks for longer periods and with greater reliability, while showing notable performance gains in areas such as software development and financial analysis, the company said. The release of the new model came just days before a selloff in traditional software stocks, after recent advances in artificial intelligence reignited concerns that AI could disrupt established business models across the sector. Software stocks in Europe and the United States slumped last week following the launch, as investors grew increasingly wary that rapid improvements in generative AI could erode demand for conventional software products and services. The software industry is widely viewed as particularly exposed to disruption, as tools such as Claude increasingly automate routine tasks that have long underpinned pricing power and revenue growth for many companies. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and Milana Vinn in New York; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Technology Milana Vinn Thomson Reuters Milana Vinn reports on technology, media, and telecom (TMT) mergers and acquisitions. Her content usually appears in the markets and deals sections of the website. Milana previously worked at GLG and PE Hub, where she spent several years covering TMT deals in private equity. She graduated from CUNY Graduate School of Journalism with Masters in Business Journalism.

Blackstone boosts Anthropic stake to $1 billion at $350 billion valuation - Bloomberg By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Blackstone Inc. is increasing its investment in artificial intelligence firm Anthropic PBC, bringing its total stake to approximately $1 billion at the startup's current valuation. The world's largest alternative asset manager is adding $200 million to its investment at a $350 billion valuation as part of Anthropic's ongoing funding round, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Anthropic, which develops the Claude AI models, has already exceeded its initial fundraising target of $10 billion, more than doubling it due to strong investor demand. The additional investment from Blackstone represents growing interest from major financial institutions in the rapidly expanding AI sector, particularly in companies developing large language models. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.