Startup News: Anthropic receives influx of funding from Google, Klarna prepares for IPO
Anthropic’s Funding from Google
Anthropic, the San Francisco-based AI company is expected to receive an influx of funding from online media company Google. Reuters reported last week that more than $1 billion in funding is expected in the deal for the startup. This comes on the heels of an additional $1 billion in a funding round led by Lightspeed Venture partners reported earlier in January.
The race among competing AI firms for capital for their products and top talent continues. In October 2024, Anthropic’s rival Open AI completed a funding round of over $6 billion, with Microsoft as one of the investors.
Further complicating the competitive AI race are the latest reports of China-based AI firm DeepSeek becoming the number one AI assistant downloaded on Apple's app store on Monday. According to the AP, DeepSeek claims its application was built at a fraction of the costs of more popular AI assistants.
Anthropic’s new funding comes as it was widely reported that Anthropic will release a ‘two-way’ voice communication product through its Claude interface. This latest innovation will also feature a memory function to allow Claude to remember past communications and respond in conversation with its users.
Founded in 2021, Anthropic provides its AI-enabled technology to software companies to allow for more efficient business processes and user experiences. The private company’s investors include Amazon, Menlo Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and Zoom Ventures.
Anthropic’s Forge Price™ is $36.01 as of January 23, 2025, implying a valuation of $22.08 billion.
Klarna Inching Towards IPO
Meanwhile, Klarna, the Stockholm, Sweden-based fintech company, has made strides towards a potential IPO. In recent weeks it was reported that the private company had formed a partnership with payments processing company Stripe. The partnership is expected to expand Klarna’s reach of merchants and users into its network of financial products and loans.
Klarna signaled in November 2024 through a confidential S-1 filing its intention to go public in the near-term. Should the company do so in 2025, it could be one of the largest IPOs of any European company.
Founded in 2005, Klarna’s Forge Price™ is $370.00 as of January 23, 2025, implying a valuation of $11.73 billion. The private company’s investors include General Atlantic, Vista Equity Partners, Digital Sky Technologies, and Arctic Ventures.
San Francisco-based Stripe’s latest Forge Price™ is $27.50 as of January 23, 2025, implying a valuation of $68.31 billion. The startup’s investors include Allen & Company, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, and Redpoint Ventures. Stripe is also one of Forge’s Private Magnificent 7 companies.
