Anthropic Investors: Billions on the Table
Early and late-stage backers stand to gain massive returns as the AI lab prepares for a public listing later this year.
By Neha Iyer ·
Anthropic is preparing to go public later this year. The company aims for a valuation of up to $2 trillion. This move will create significant wealth for its investors. Even at the current private market price of $965 billion, many backers already hold stakes worth billions of dollars.
Eric Schmidt, the former head of Google, is among the biggest winners. He participated in the Series A round in 2021. At that time, the startup was valued at just $461 million. Today, Schmidt owns approximately 1% of the company. Based on the latest private valuation, his share is worth nearly $10 billion.
Later-stage investors have also seen substantial growth. Iconiq wrote a check for $6 billion last year. At that point, Anthropic was valued at $183 billion. That investment is now worth $17 billion. It could potentially double in value once the IPO occurs.
Menlo Ventures led the Series D funding round. The firm has invested more than $1 billion in total over time. Their current stake is valued at $14 billion. Sequoia entered the picture earlier this year. They invested $3 billion when the company was already valued at $380 billion. This gave them about 1% ownership. Their investment has already more than doubled in value.
Other firms have seen massive returns as well. Sound Ventures, founded by Guy Oseary and Ashton Kutcher, invested $35 million in the 2023 Series C. They added another $400 million subsequently. Their stake is now worth billions. Kutcher left Sound Ventures this year to start a new venture capital firm.
Spark Capital holds the only known board seat at Anthropic. They put $75 million into the 2023 Series C round. The company was valued at $5 billion then. That position has grown more than ninetyfold. It is now worth $7 billion. These figures highlight the rapid appreciation of equity in leading AI labs.
The upcoming public listing is expected to be a major event. It will mark a significant milestone for the industry. Investors at all stages are positioned to profit. The final outcome will depend on market reception during the IPO. For now, the private market valuations already reflect immense wealth.
Source: TechCrunch
