Anthropic Backers Hold Billions in AI Giant's Pre-IPO Stakes
Early and late-stage investors stand to see their portfolios surge as the AI lab approaches a potential $2 trillion public listing.
By Ken Adams ·
For investors who backed Anthropic during its early days, the company’s anticipated initial public offering represents a massive financial shift. The AI lab is expected to go public this year with a valuation that could reach $2 trillion. Even before that listing occurs, the private market value of $965 billion already translates into billions of dollars for key venture capital firms and individual backers, according to Bloomberg data.
The most significant early gains are visible in the holdings of Eric Schmidt. The former Google chief invested in Anthropic’s Series A round in 2021, when the startup was valued at just $461 million. Today, Schmidt holds approximately 1% of the company. At the current private valuation, that single stake is worth nearly $10 billion, reflecting the substantial growth since his initial entry.
Late-stage institutional investors also hold considerable equity. Iconiq, an investment firm, wrote a $6 billion check to Anthropic last year when the company was already valued at $183 billion. That investment has since grown to a value of $17 billion. Analysts suggest this position has the potential to double again once the IPO is completed.
Menlo Ventures, which led the company’s Series D funding round, has invested over $1 billion in total. That cumulative stake is now valued at $14 billion. Meanwhile, Sequoia, a prominent venture capital firm, entered the picture earlier this year. At that time, Anthropic was valued at $380 billion. Sequoia invested $3 billion to secure roughly 1% ownership, a move that has already more than doubled its initial capital.
Sound Ventures, co-founded by Guy Oseary and actor Ashton Kutcher, invested $35 million in the 2023 Series C round. The firm subsequently poured an additional $400 million into the company, resulting in a stake now worth billions. It is worth noting that Kutcher left Sound Ventures this year to launch his own new venture capital firm.
Spark Capital holds a unique position as the only venture capital firm known to have a board seat at Anthropic. The firm invested $75 million during the 2023 Series C round, when the company’s valuation stood at $5 billion. That initial bet has since ballooned by more than ninetyfold, reaching a current value of $7 billion.
Source: TechCrunch
