ADVERTISEMENT

Technology

Anthropic in Talks to Raise Funding at $60 Billion Value

By Shirin Ghaffary
The Anthropic logo on a laptop arranged in New York, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. Investor enthusiasm for AI-related startups has increased significantly in the past year, as more of the technology has come to market, showcasing its potential. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- OpenAI rival Anthropic is in advanced talks to raise $2 billion in a funding round that would value the startup at $60 billion, according to two people familiar with the matter. 

Lightspeed Venture Partners is leading the round, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters. The $60 billion valuation would include the money Anthropic plans to raise in the round, the people said.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the new fundraise. Anthropic didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Anthropic is one of the many startups raising billions of dollars amid the hype over generative AI. Just three months ago, OpenAI raised $6.6 billion, nearly doubling its valuation to $157 billion. Last month, Elon Musk’s xAI said it had raised $6 billion in new capital, wrapping up a funding round that has been in the works for months and was said to value the artificial intelligence startup at more than $40 billion.

In November, Amazon.com Inc. announced that it was investing an additional $4 billion in Anthropic, boosting an existing stake in the firm. That sum, in convertible notes, started with a $1.3 billion infusion, with the remainder to follow at a time the companies didn’t specify.

Some of the rest of the $4 billion could come as part of new Anthropic fundraising, according to a person familiar with the matter, but Amazon doesn’t 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 person 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 $875 million in annual revenue, according to one person familiar with the matter. 

--With assistance from Lizette Chapman, Kate Clark and Matt Day.

(Adds details on fundraise beginning in fifth paragraph.)

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.