Early Anthropic backers hold stakes worth billions ahead of 2 trillion dollar debut

The anticipated public offering of the artificial intelligence lab Anthropic is projected to occur later this year, with analysts expecting a valuation to reach as high as two trillion dollars. This upcoming listing is set to generate substantial returns for both early-stage and later-stage investors who have supported the company since its inception.

Even at the company's most recent private market valuation of 965 billion dollars, the financial positions of key venture capitalists and initial backers already represent billions of dollars in equity. According to data from Bloomberg, several prominent figures and firms have seen their investments grow exponentially since the company's early days.

Eric Schmidt, the former chief executive of Google, is among the most notable beneficiaries of this growth. He participated in Anthropic's Series A funding round in 2021, a period when the startup was valued at 461 million dollars. Today, Schmidt holds approximately one percent of the company, a stake that is currently valued at nearly 10 billion dollars based on the latest private market figures.

Later-stage investors have also captured significant value from the company's rapid appreciation. Iconiq Capital wrote a 6 billion dollar check to Anthropic last year, after the firm had already reached a valuation of 183 billion dollars. This massive investment is now worth 17 billion dollars and could potentially double in value upon the company's official debut on the public stock market.

Menlo Ventures, which led the company's Series D round, has invested more than 1 billion dollars into Anthropic over time. That accumulated stake is now valued at 14 billion dollars. Meanwhile, Sequoia Capital entered the fold earlier this year, investing 3 billion dollars when the company was already valued at 380 billion dollars. This purchase granted them about one percent ownership, meaning their initial outlay has already more than doubled in value.

Sound Ventures, a firm launched by Guy Oseary and actor Ashton Kutcher, invested 35 million dollars during the 2023 Series C round. The firm subsequently funneled an additional 400 million dollars into the company, resulting in a stake that is now worth billions. Notably, Kutcher departed Sound Ventures earlier this year to launch a new venture capital firm. Spark Capital, the only known VC firm holding a board seat at Anthropic, invested 75 million dollars in that same 2023 round when the valuation was 5 billion dollars. That position has since ballooned more than ninetyfold to a current value of 7 billion dollars.