A new enterprise AI services firm backed by Blackstone, Anthropic, and Hellman & Friedman announced its first acquisition by picking San Francisco-based Fractional AI as its operational centerpiece, with Fractional AI ending its 11-month partnership with OpenAI as a result of the deal. The as-yet unnamed venture was created to encourage midsize companies to use generative AI (specifically Anthropic's Claude), and is also backed by Apollo Global Management, General Atlantic, Leonard Green & Partners, GIC, and Sequoia Capital. The deal follows the broader trend of OpenAI and Anthropic forming joint ventures with the world's largest alternative asset managers to promote their AI tools across thousands of portfolio companies.
