Plus: an Australian defense-tech startup raises $18 million to expand in the U.S. And Stifel analysts say Salesforce is under pressure ahead of its first-quarter earnings report. Danny Lewis hosts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
[00:00:01] [SPEAKER_00] Here's your afternoon WSJ Tech News Briefing for Friday, May 15th. I'm Danny Lewis for The Wall Street Journal. Anthropic is raising more than $30 billion at a $900 billion valuation as the AI giant seeks funding ahead of its widely expected initial public offering. That's according to people familiar with the matter. They say the Claude Chatbot Maker's fundraise is co-led by Green Oaks Capital, Sequoia Capital, Dragoneer, and Altimeter Capital.
[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_00] The deal hasn't closed. Spokespeople for Green Oaks and Sequoia declined to comment, and spokespeople for Altimeter and Dragoneer did not respond to requests for comment. Anthropic's new raise follows another $30 billion funding round that closed only three months ago, bringing the total amount the company has raised to over $90 billion since the beginning of last year.
[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_00] An Australian defense tech startup has raised $18 million from private equity investors as it seeks to expand a U.S. customer base that already includes the Defense Department. The company, Arceus, has developed an AI-powered platform that allows drones and aircraft to see more clearly by gathering multiple layers of visual data using smaller sensors, including light not visible to the human eye.
[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_00] Arceus says that can help military and civil systems operate more reliably in challenging situations, like low-visibility combat or in GPS black spots. The company's CEO says it will use the new funds to set up a U.S. manufacturing facility and to help develop new capabilities. And Salesforce is still under pressure as investors wait for updates on its business reacceleration. That's according to Stiefel analysts.
[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_00] But they say the company appears to be making progress ahead of its first quarter results slated for later this month. They highlighted steady adoption and continued interest within the base, a shift towards more consumption-based pricing, and the launch of its headless architecture that doesn't require a browser as net positives for Salesforce. And that's a wrap on your TNB Tech Minute. For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out our Tech News Briefing podcast on Tuesdays and Fridays. 10nięto3 55 2000
[00:02:03] 30