Anthropic expands Claude Startups program in bid to snag founders and fast-growing companies

Anthropic on Tuesday announced it's expanding its Claude Startups program, the artificial intelligence lab's latest push to deepen its ties to founders and fast-growing companies.

Claude Startups initially launched in May, and thousands of companies are already participating, according to Anthropic. The company is opening up the program to more organizations, and members will get access to thousands of dollars worth of Anthropic's Claude products and credits to help them build.

"We created this program because 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," Anthropic said in a release. "That makes partnering closely with founders and developers central to our mission."

The vast majority of Anthropic's revenue comes from its business customers, and it's spent much of the last year trying to fend off rivals like OpenAI and Google, which both offer their own programs for startups. As it gears up for what is widely expected to be a blockbuster IPO, Anthropic is working to ensure that the next generation of businesses will be built using its products.

Claude Startup members can receive up to $45,000 worth of discounts and credits through the Claude Startup Stack, which Anthropic described as a "set of benefits for the tools a startup runs on." Additionally, eligible organizations can access a one-time $1,000 application programming interface (API) credit, as well as a free year of Claude Team for up to five premium seats.

Anthropic said members can also meet with the company's applied AI team through virtual office hours, and connect with other members of the Claude Startup community at events.

Startups that were founded within the last five years or funded within the last two years are able to apply, Anthropic said.