Anthropic raises $13B, reaches $183B valuation

Anthropic, one of OpenAI’s primary competitors and the developer of the Claude series of AI models, has officially announced a landmark $13 billion Series F funding round, valuing the company at $183 billion. This makes Anthropic the fourth most valuable private company in the world and the second-largest AI startup globally, trailing only OpenAI. The round, which closed on September 3, 2025, far exceeded initial expectations. Originally targeting $5 billion, the fundraising goal was raised to $10 billion due to overwhelming investor demand, ultimately closing at $13 billion. Iconiq Capital led the round, with co-leadership from Fidelity Management & Research Co. and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The investor roster includes some of the most prominent names in global finance: Blackstone, Coatue, Singapore’s Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), General Atlantic, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and T. Rowe Price. This massive infusion of capital marks a nearly threefold increase in valuation from just six months earlier. In March 2025, Anthropic raised $3.5 billion at a $61.5 billion valuation. The surge reflects strong confidence in the company’s technological edge and commercial momentum, particularly following the strong market performance of its flagship Claude models. Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI research leaders—including CEO Dario Amodei—Anthropic was built on a foundational commitment to AI safety, transparency, and controllability. This mission-driven approach has helped the company stand out in a crowded and competitive field. Its focus on ethical AI has also played a key role in retaining top talent. According to SignalFire data, Anthropic’s employee retention rate over the past two years has reached 80%, outperforming both Google DeepMind (78%) and OpenAI (67%). A major factor behind this retention is Anthropic’s distinctive hiring process. Beyond technical assessments, the company places significant emphasis on behavioral interviews, probing candidates’ decisions in complex moral dilemmas. This ensures alignment with the company’s core principle: prioritizing public safety over profit. This intense cultural cohesion has led some observers to describe Anthropic’s internal environment as having a “near-cult-like” atmosphere, helping the company resist aggressive recruitment efforts from larger tech firms. Financially, Anthropic is experiencing explosive growth. Its annualized revenue (run-rate revenue) jumped from around $1 billion in early 2025 to over $5 billion by August—among the fastest growth rates in tech history. CFO Krishna Rao stated, “We’re seeing demand from our customer base grow exponentially. This funding reflects investor confidence in our financial trajectory and strategic partnerships, and will power our next phase of unprecedented growth.” Today, Anthropic serves over 300,000 commercial clients. The number of enterprise clients with annualized revenue exceeding $100,000 has grown nearly sevenfold in the past year. A key driver of this success is its AI-powered coding assistant, Claude Code, launched in May 2025. Since its release, the tool has generated over $500 million in annualized revenue and seen usage increase more than tenfold within just three months. The new capital will be deployed across several strategic priorities: scaling infrastructure to meet surging enterprise demand, advancing AI safety research, and expanding globally. Anthropic is particularly focused on high-stakes sectors like finance and healthcare, where reliability and accountability are paramount. The AI valuation race is intensifying. OpenAI is reportedly valued at $300 billion following its latest round, while Elon Musk’s xAI is reportedly aiming for a $200 billion valuation in its next funding round. With its $183 billion valuation, Anthropic now ranks second globally in the AI startup space. Notably, the participation of sovereign wealth funds like Qatar Investment Authority has drawn attention. Internal documents previously leaked revealed CEO Dario Amodei acknowledging that accepting such investments could benefit authoritarian regimes. Yet, he conceded that maintaining cutting-edge AI research requires massive capital, and pragmatism ultimately prevailed. “It’s hard to run a business that refuses to benefit anyone,” Amodei reportedly said, highlighting the difficult balance between idealism and real-world necessity.