Frontier artificial intelligence safety and research company Anthropic, and venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, have announced a new $100 million (£76m~) initiative: the Anthology Fund.

Anthropic is perhaps best known for Claude, the artificial intelligence (AI) assistant which rivals ChatGPT, while Menlo Ventures has supported global tech-led businesses like Uber, Roku, and Anthropic itself.

The new fund aims to partner with innovative founders to build AI-first applications and infrastructure solutions that leverage Anthropic’s technology and AI models.

It will invest in companies from seed to expansion stages, and with investments that start at $100,000 (£76k~). The fund will back selected entrepreneurs who are using Anthropic technologies, and primarily focused on five areas:

• AI infrastructure, including DevX tools and middleware that advances the use of Claude and other large language models (LLMs), accelerating their adoption and capabilities.
• Frontier/novel applications of AI that will transform industries including bio, healthcare, legal, financial services, supply chains, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity.
• Consumer AI solutions that transform the user experience by integrating LLMs as core components driving interactions.
• Trust and safety tooling (at or above the model layer) that enhances AI safety and offers scalable, profitable solutions for responsible AI deployment.
• AI apps and tech that maximise societal benefits, such as new forms of education/training, job creation solutions, and tools that expand accessibility.

Startups backed by the fund are also set to gain access to resources such as Menlo’s investors and services team, gain access to Anthropic’s most advanced AI models with thousands of dollars’ worth of credits, the opportunity to showcase progress at bi-annual demo days, and more.

“The Anthology Fund represents more than investing—we see this as an opportunity to drive AI forward,” said Tim Tully, partner at Menlo Ventures.

“We’re not just looking for startups; we’re seeking pioneers who will harness Anthropic’s groundbreaking technology to shatter the limits of what is possible today through AI.

“Our mission is to empower ambitious founders to create solutions that don’t just drive value but fundamentally reshape industries and improve lives.”

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Also commenting, Daniela Amodei, president of Anthropic, said: “Through our partnership with Menlo Ventures and the Anthology Fund, we hope to accelerate the development of groundbreaking AI applications.

“We’re particularly interested in ventures that leverage AI to enhance human capabilities and productivity in fields such as healthcare, legal services, education, energy, infrastructure, and scientific research.”

“We look forward to working closely with Menlo and the exceptional founders backed by this Fund to push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI.”