AI startup Anthropic finalizing $3.5B funding at $61.5B valuation amid AI race with OpenAI
Nickie Louise
Posted On February 24, 2025
Anthropic is closing in on a massive $3.5 billion funding round that would push its valuation to $61.5 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. The AI startup, known for developing the Claude chatbot, continues to attract deep-pocketed investors eager to fuel the next phase of artificial intelligence development.
The latest backers include Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst, and Bessemer Venture Partners, with Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX reportedly in discussions to join the round. Anthropic has not yet responded to a request for comment.
“Anthropic is finalizing a $3.5 billion funding round that values the startup behind the chatbot Claude at $61.5 billion, showing how eager investors are to back promising artificial-intelligence companies despite the disruptive arrival of China’s DeepSeek, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The funding builds on a string of major investments over the past year. In January, Reuters reported that the company was close to securing an additional $2 billion at a $60 billion valuation, following Amazon’s $4 billion commitment in 2023.
In January, Google doubled down its investment in Anthropic, committing another $1 billion on top of its existing $2 billion investment, reaffirming its confidence in the startup’s potential.
The funding arms race reflects the tech industry’s unrelenting pursuit of dominance in the AI sector. Microsoft’s OpenAI, which set the stage with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, recently closed a $6.6 billion funding round in October, raising its valuation to an eye-watering $157 billion.
Anthropic has positioned itself as one of the leading challengers to OpenAI, with a growing presence in the foundation model space. The company was valued at $18 billion last year after a funding round led by Menlo Ventures, making its latest valuation a significant leap.
Beyond fundraising, Anthropic is keeping pace with the competition by launching Claude 3.7 Sonnet, an advanced AI model that delivers faster responses and improved step-by-step reasoning. With AI firms racing to push the limits of what’s possible, this latest development highlights how Anthropic is sharpening its competitive edge.
Anthropic’s Meteoric Rise
Based in San Francisco, Anthropic has gained recognition for its advancements in generative AI, emerging as a strong competitor to industry leaders like OpenAI. Its flagship chatbot, Claude, has been gaining momentum, demonstrating impressive capabilities across various use cases.
In an op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal on Monday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei highlighted the strategic implications of AI development, stating, “The nations that are first to build powerful AI systems will gain a strategic advantage over its development,” while urging U.S. officials to ensure leadership in the field.
Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives Dario Amodei (CEO), Daniela Amodei, Jack Clark, Sam McCandlish, and Tom Brown. Driven by the transformative potential of generative AI, Dario, and Daniela Amodei set out to create “large-scale AI systems that are steerable, interpretable, and robust.” Before launching Anthropic, Daniela Amodei served as OpenAI’s safety and policy vice president.
