Anthropic in talks to raise funding at US$60 billion value
Anthropic is one of the many startups raising billions of US dollars amid the hype over generative AI
OPENAI rival Anthropic is in advanced talks to raise US$2 billion in a funding round that would value the startup at US$60 billion, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Lightspeed Venture Partners is leading the round, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters. The US$60 billion valuation would include the money Anthropic plans to raise in the round, the sources said.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the new fundraise. Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Anthropic is one of the many startups raising billions of US dollars amid the hype over generative artificial intelligence (AI). Just three months ago, OpenAI raised US$6.6 billion, nearly doubling its valuation to US$157 billion. Last month, Elon Musk’s xAI said it had raised US$6 billion in new capital, wrapping up a funding round that has been in the works for months and was said to value the AI startup at more than US$40 billion.
In November, Amazon.com announced that it was investing an additional US$4 billion in Anthropic, boosting an existing stake in the firm. That sum, in convertible notes, started with a US$1.3 billion infusion, with the remainder to follow at a time the companies did not specify.
Some of the rest of the US$4 billion could come as part of new Anthropic fundraising, according to a source familiar with the matter, but Amazon does not plan to invest additional money beyond that at this time. Amazon declined to comment.
Menlo Ventures, which previously backed Anthropic, expects to invest again in the startup, according to a source familiar with the firm’s plans.
Founded in 2021 by former employees of OpenAI, Anthropic has become one of the ChatGPT maker’s closest rivals. Anthropic has gained traction selling AI software to businesses, including finance and healthcare firms.
Anthropic was recently on pace to generate around US$875 million in annual revenue, according to one source familiar with the matter. BLOOMBERG
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