- OpenAI shares almost 42% of its overall investors with Anthropic, an analysis has revealed.
- Almost 90 venture capital firms and other money managers have put their money in both Anthropic and OpenAI.
- Both companies are planning to go public this year.
Artificial intelligence giants Anthropic and OpenAI are rivals when it comes to market valuations, customers and even policy proposals. But there is a segment where both AI startups overlap - investors.
An analysis of data from startup investments tracker PitchBook by Wired reveals that OpenAI shares almost 42% of its overall investors with Anthropic.
Over the past few years, roughly 90 venture capital firms and other money managers have invested in both Anthropic and OpenAI.
Almost a third of Anthropic investors, such as Sequoia Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Emerson Collective, Greylock, Founders Fund, and Sound Ventures, are also OpenAI backers.
In Anthropic's fundraising announcement last week, at least 13 out of the 31 investors mentioned have stakes in OpenAI.
The number may be more since collecting data about private investments is challenging.
Almost 30 of the overlapping investors in Anthropic and OpenAI have been identified as private equity firms, hedge funds, or wealth managers that often spread their bets. The others are traditional angel or venture capital firms that now follow the same strategy.
Many of the common investors have also put money in xAI, Elon Musk's AI research lab, which was bought by SpaceX this year.
Historically, venture capital firms have placed their bets on one firm in a sector to avoid conflicts of interest, Kyle Stanford, director of venture capital research at PitchBook, told Wired .
But as funds have grown larger, the venture capital industry has evolved. Firms are backing more startups, while companies are staying private for longer periods and raising more funds than ever before.
However, a few backers have put their money in only one of the big AI developers. Khosla Ventures and Thrive Capital have invested only in OpenAI. Menlo Ventures and General Catalyst only put their money in Anthropic.
With both OpenAI and Anthropic set to make their public issue soon, investors may be doubling their chance of success by investing in both companies.
Anthropic recently filed confidential papers with the US authorities for an initial public offering (IPO). The company's announcement came after it surged past OpenAI in terms of market value.
The Claude maker was valued at $965 billion after its recent funding round.
OpenAI is also reportedly considering going public this year, but an exact timeline has not been revealed.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
