Anthropic, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company behind the Claude family of models, has expanded its Claude Startups programme in a move designed to attract founders and fast-growing businesses ahead of an anticipated stock market listing.
The programme, which launched in May, already counts thousands of companies as members.
What's on offer
Members can access up to $45,000 in discounts and credits through the Claude Startup Stack, a bundle of benefits covering tools commonly used by early-stage businesses.
Eligible startups also receive a one-time $1,000 application programming interface (API) credit, which allows developers to integrate Claude into their own products, plus a free year of Claude Team for up to five users.
Additional benefits include virtual office hours with Anthropic's applied AI team and access to community events.
Who can apply?
Anthropic said any startup founded within the last five years, or that has received funding within the last two years, is eligible to apply.
The expansion reflects Anthropic's push to embed its technology with the next generation of businesses before they commit to rival platforms from OpenAI or Google, both of which run their own startup schemes.
The vast majority of Anthropic's revenue comes from business customers, making developer adoption central to its growth story.
"We believe the benefits of AI will reach most people through the companies that build on top of models, rather than through the models alone," the company said.
