What some of Anthropic’s backers are reportedly worth before its IPO — SkimNews
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- Anthropic is expected to go public this year at a valuation of as much as $2 trillion, compared with a latest private-market valuation of $965 billion.
- Eric Schmidt invested in Anthropic’s 2021 Series A at a $461 million valuation and now owns about 1% of the company, a stake worth nearly $10 billion at its current private valuation.
- Iconiq wrote a $6 billion check to Anthropic last year at a $183 billion valuation; the investment is now worth $17 billion, with the potential to double at the IPO.
- Menlo Ventures led Anthropic’s Series D and invested more than $1 billion over time; its stake is now valued at $14 billion.
- Sequoia backed Anthropic for the first time earlier this year, investing $3 billion at a $380 billion valuation for about 1%; the stake has already more than doubled its investment.
- Sound Ventures invested $35 million in Anthropic’s 2023 Series C and funneled another $400 million into the company, making the firm’s stake worth billions; Ashton Kutcher left this year to launch a new VC firm.
- Spark Capital put $75 million into Anthropic’s 2023 Series C when the AI lab was valued at $5 billion; its stake is now worth $7 billion, a more than 90-fold increase, and Spark is the only VC known to hold a board seat.
Why it matters: Iconiq’s $17 billion stake is the largest specific holding given for a backer: its $6 billion investment already sits far above its purchase price, with potential to double at the public listing. The IPO offers late-stage backers further material upside, even as Eric Schmidt’s 2021 investment already carries a nearly $10 billion paper gain.
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