DeepMind's Demis Hassabis Held Early Anthropic Stake as Alumni Startups Raised $14 Billion
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · May 19
DeepMind's Demis Hassabis Held Early Anthropic Stake as Alumni Startups Raised $14 Billion
12 articles · Updated · Financial Times · May 19
Demis Hassabis was an early angel investor in Anthropic, a previously undisclosed stake in the AI start-up that has become a major rival and was recently valued at $900 billion.
The investment underscores Hassabis's widening reach across AI as Google has separately poured billions into Anthropic and as Anthropic chief Dario Amodei reportedly views him as a role model.
Former DeepMind researchers have founded more than a dozen companies since 2021, raising at least $14 billion, including Isomorphic Labs and Ineffable Intelligence, which together secured more than $3 billion in the past month.
Hassabis has also backed other ventures tied to former colleagues, including Inflection AI and Ineffable Intelligence, while senior DeepMind executives have moved into top Google AI roles.
That network has reinforced DeepMind's influence beyond London, where Google recently opened a $1 billion headquarters, even as Hassabis's clout inside Google expanded after the 2023 AI reorganization.
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The DeepMind Effect: 37 Alumni Startups and the $900 Billion Anthropic Surge Transforming Global AI
Overview
DeepMind has become a powerful 'founder factory' in the AI industry by combining frontier research, world-class talent, and an ambitious culture. This unique environment has led to a wave of successful startups founded by former DeepMind researchers, a trend often called the 'DeepMind mafia.' Since 2021, these alumni have launched more than a dozen companies, significantly shaping the competitive landscape of AI. One standout is Anthropic, founded by ex-DeepMind staff, which quickly became a major rival to giants like OpenAI and Google. DeepMind’s approach continues to drive innovation and influence across the AI sector.