Menlo Ventures Raises Record $3 Billion Following Anthropic Success
Bets on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the venture capital market are starting to pay off. Menlo Ventures, one of the world's most prestigious investment firms, announced the raising of a new $3 billion fund, the largest in its 50-year history. The primary driver of this success is cited as the firm's bold investments in the Anthropic startup. This was reported by Techcrunch.com news states.
According to Bloomberg, Menlo Ventures' stake in the Anthropic project is currently valued at approximately $14 billion. This figure could go down in history as one of the most profitable deals in the venture market. The company had previously bet all its resources on this model creator, taking a significant risk.
From Risk to Massive Returns
In early 2024, Menlo Ventures led the Series D investment round for Anthropic, directing $750 million into the project. At the time, this move raised doubts among many, as the venture market had not yet fully recovered from the post-pandemic crisis. However, Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI researchers Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei, grew faster than expected.As reported by TechCrunch, Menlo Ventures used a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to raise these funds. This method allowed them to consolidate funds from several sources for a single large deal. As a result, Anthropic's market value quickly rose to $18.4 billion, bringing significant profits to investors.
The Anthology Fund and Future Plans
Not limiting itself to a single company, Menlo Ventures also launched a special $100 million fund called Anthology in partnership with Anthropic. The capital of this fund has now reached $250 million and supports over 60 promising AI startups. These projects include successfully exited startups such as Graphite and Astrix Security.The company's portfolio now includes new stars of the artificial intelligence field:
- OpenRouter — a platform unifying various AI models;
- Higgsfield — video generation systems;
- Lovable and OpenEvidence — specialized AI solutions;
- Legora — data analysis tools.
Today, Menlo Ventures serves not only as an investor but as a critical link in the formation of the AI ecosystem. Their new $3 billion fund is expected to be directed toward discovering the next generation of technological giants.
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