Want in on AI Superstar Anthropic Before Its IPO? These 4 Companies Are Some of Its Earliest Investors.
Key Points
The brainchild behind the Claude large language model may go public before the end of the year at a $1 trillion valuation.
Investors can gain exposure to Anthropic before it goes public by purchasing stakes in some of its earliest minority investors.
Some of Anthropic's minority stakeholders are highly influential companies on Wall Street.
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This is shaping up to be the year of the mega-initial public offering (IPO). Although SpaceX has put the wheels in motion for what should be the largest IPO in stock market history, with a projected valuation of up to $1.75 trillion to $2 trillion, it's not the only private company that could soon fetch a trillion-dollar market cap.
According to various reports, artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) developer Anthropic may go public before the end of the year and secure a $1 trillion valuation from investors. But you don't have to wait for the developer of Claude LLMs to go public to gain exposure. You can buy shares in four of Anthropic's earliest investors: Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL)(NASDAQ: GOOG), Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), Zoom Communications (NASDAQ: ZM), and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN).
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Image source: Getty Images.
Alphabet (via Google)
Most investors are familiar with Alphabet because of its virtual monopoly in internet search traffic (via Google), its ownership of the second-most-visited website on the planet (YouTube), and its cloud infrastructure service platform, Google Cloud. But Alphabet has quite a successful track record as an investor.
In April 2023, Google invested $300 million in Anthropic, grabbing what was then a roughly 10% stake in the AI start-up. It followed this up with pledges of up to $2 billion in additional investments later that year. Then, just last week, Google's investment arm committed up to $40 billion more. Prior to this announcement, Google's parent company, Alphabet, owned a roughly 14% stake in Anthropic.
Salesforce (via Salesforce Ventures)
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is Salesforce's claim to fame. CRM software helps businesses better understand their clients' needs, while the integration of AI virtual agents adds another layer to the company's enterprise products and services portfolio.
But what you might not know is that Salesforce participated in Anthropic's Series C funding in 2023 through its investment arm, Salesforce Ventures. Including subsequent funding rounds, Salesforce is estimated to have a 1% stake in the brainchild behind Claude.
Image source: Getty Images.
Zoom (via Zoom Ventures)
Zoom Communications was a darling during the COVID-19 pandemic, with its video conferencing technology helping businesses stay on track. But perhaps its calling card of success is its early innings investment in Anthropic.
Zoom's investment wing, Zoom Ventures, was part of Anthropic's Series C funding in May 2023. Although Zoom hasn't disclosed the exact amount invested, it did list "$51 million" for strategic investments in the fiscal second quarter of 2024 (ended July 31, 2023).
At the time of Zoom's investment, Anthropic was valued at $4.1 billion. If this $51 million were directed toward Anthropic, Zoom could be sitting on a mammoth gain.
Amazon
Last but not least is dual-industry leader Amazon. Known best for its world-leading online marketplace and its No. 1 cloud infrastructure service platform, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon is also a leading investor in several high-growth companies -- Anthropic among them.
In September 2023, Amazon committed up to $4 billion to Anthropic, with $1.25 billion upfront and an additional $2.75 billion six months later. In 2025 and 2026, Amazon committed even more capital, with Anthropic relying on AWS as its primary cloud service provider.
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Sean Williams has positions in Alphabet and Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Salesforce, and Zoom Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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