Anthropic's Pre-IPO Valuations: A Deep Dive Into Backer Stakes
With Anthropic's public listing expected this year at a valuation of as much as $2 trillion, the company's backers are poised for substantial returns.
By Priya Sharma ·
Anthropic's impending public listing, anticipated to value the artificial intelligence company at up to $2 trillion, is set to generate significant returns for its investors. However, even before this public offering, the stakes held by many of its backers are already substantial. The financial figures associated with these investors are based on Anthropic's latest private market valuation of $965 billion.
According to Bloomberg, several prominent individuals and firms have accumulated significant holdings in the AI laboratory. Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, participated in Anthropic's Series A funding round in 2021 when the company's valuation was $461 million, as reported by PitchBook data. His current ownership of approximately 1% of the company is valued at nearly $10 billion at the current private valuation.
Other investors have also seen their positions grow considerably. Iconiq, an investment outfit, made a $6 billion investment last year when Anthropic was valued at $183 billion. This late-stage investment is now valued at $17 billion. Menlo Ventures, a venture capital firm, led Anthropic's Series D round and has invested over $1 billion in the company, with its current stake valued at $14 billion.
Spark Capital invested $75 million in Anthropic's Series C round in 2023, a period when the company's valuation was $5 billion. That position has since grown more than ninetyfold to a value of $7 billion. Spark Capital is also known to be the only venture capital firm with a board seat at Anthropic.
Sound Ventures, a firm established by Guy Oseary and actor Ashton Kutcher, invested $35 million in the 2023 Series C round and has since invested an additional $400 million. This has resulted in a stake now worth billions. It is noted that Kutcher departed from Sound Ventures this year to establish a new venture capital firm.
Sequoia, a well-known venture capital firm, made its initial investment in Anthropic earlier this year when the company was valued at $380 billion. Its $3 billion investment has already resulted in a return of more than double its initial outlay.
Source: TechCrunch
