Anthropic, an AI startup, is close to securing a $2 billion funding round at a valuation of $60 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter. The deal, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, is expected to close soon, although the terms are not yet finalized. This latest funding round will bring Anthropic’s total raised capital to $6 billion, following a $4 billion investment just months ago.
The company, co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, has seen its annualized revenue climb to around $875 million. Anthropic offers access to its AI models directly and through third-party cloud services, including Amazon Web Services. The company has emerged as a major competitor to OpenAI, which sparked an AI arms race with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.
The AI sector has witnessed significant funding activity in recent years, with Anthropic and other startups accounting for nearly half of the venture capital raised in the U.S., according to PitchBook data.
Anthropic’s substantial funding round explained
OpenAI, in particular, raised $6.6 billion in October, potentially boosting its valuation to $157 billion.
At the new valuation of $60 billion, each of Anthropic’s seven founders is expected to hold stakes worth over $1.2 billion. The founding team includes CEO Dario Amodei, president Daniela Amodei, and cofounders Tom Brown, Jack Clark, Jared Kaplan, Sam McCandlish, and Christopher Olah. Anthropic has declined to comment on the details of the new funding.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the funding details on Tuesday. The rise in Anthropic’s valuation reflects the ongoing investment surge in AI startups, suggesting that other companies like Mistral AI, Cohere, Safe Superintelligence, and Perplexity may soon see similar success. With continuing innovation and significant investor interest, Anthropic’s cofounders are unlikely to be the only new billionaires in the AI sector in 2025.
