Anthropic and Menlo Ventures are launching a $100 million Anthology Fund to support early-stage startups using Anthropic’s AI technology. Inspired by Apple’s 2008 iFund with Kleiner Perkins, this initiative provides $25,000 in credits for AI usage, coaching, and resources but no equity investment from Anthropic.
″In AI, it’s very expensive to get started — it can actually be a deterrent to launching your company,” Daniela Amodei told CNBC. “Our goal here is to contribute that component. We’re providing credits and also some guidance on how to get started in the ecosystem.”
This collaboration aims to enhance Anthropic’s products through developer feedback, competing directly with OpenAI’s $175 million Startup Fund.
Matt Murphy, a partner at Menlo Ventures and a former partner at Kleiner Perkins, highlighted the parallels to the iFund, noting its success in connecting Apple with early developers and vice versa. He pointed out that AI development is progressing much faster than iPhone development, describing the current wave of AI innovation as happening 10 to 100 times quicker. Murphy also emphasized the unique opportunity the Anthology Fund presents for building a great community and fostering disruptive innovation without aligning with another strategic partner. He added that this initiative allows Anthropic, Menlo Ventures, and a set of entrepreneurs to collaboratively achieve significant breakthroughs and build something truly impactful.
Featured image: Credit: Anthropic
