Anthropic investors ride valuation surge to billions before IPO

The artificial intelligence race is producing some of the largest financial windfalls in venture history. Anthropic is set to go public later this year with a valuation that could reach two trillion dollars. Even before that official listing, the private market price already puts many investors in the billions. Bloomberg reported the current stakes for several key backers based on the company's latest private valuation of 965 billion dollars.

Eric Schmidt stands out as one of the biggest winners from an early bet. The former Google chief invested during the 2021 Series A round when the startup was valued at just 461 million dollars. PitchBook data shows he currently owns about one percent of the company. At the current private price, that small slice is worth nearly ten billion dollars.

Late-stage money has also seen strong growth. Iconiq wrote a six billion dollar check to Anthropic last year. At that time, the company was valued at 183 billion dollars. That investment is now worth seventeen billion dollars. If the IPO plays out as expected, that number could potentially double. Menlo Ventures also holds a significant position. The firm led the Series D round and has poured over one billion dollars into the company over time. That stake is currently valued at fourteen billion dollars.

Sequoia entered the picture more recently. The firm made its first investment in the AI lab earlier this year. The company was already valued at 380 billion dollars at that point. Sequoia put in three billion dollars to secure about one percent ownership. This move has already more than doubled its initial investment. Sound Ventures, launched by Guy Oseary and actor Ashton Kutcher, also has a substantial holding. The firm invested 35 million dollars in the 2023 Series C. It added another 400 million dollars later. That combined position is now worth billions. Kutcher left the firm this year to start a new venture capital group.

Spark Capital holds the only known board seat at Anthropic. The firm invested 75 million dollars in the 2023 Series C round. At that time, the company was valued at five billion dollars. That initial stake has grown more than ninetyfold. It is now worth approximately seven billion dollars.

These figures illustrate the rapid wealth generation surrounding the leading AI lab. The upcoming public listing is expected to cement these gains for early and later-stage investors. The market will soon test whether the private valuations can hold or expand during the transition to a public stock.