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An investment banker is offering up about $8 million in Bay Area real estate, including a nearly $5 million house, in exchange for stock options for AI giant Anthropic ahead of the company’s potential initial public offering (IPO).
Storm Duncan, the founder of tech investment bank Ignatious, is proposing a deal that would see him exchange a four-bedroom, five-bath estate in Mill Valley in exchange for Anthropic shares, as the company reportedly explores an IPO this year, Realtor.com reported.
Duncan’s 4,372-square-foot home was built in 2005 and has views across San Francisco Bay as well as of the surrounding, while also featuring an infinity pool and chef’s kitchen area. Realtor.com’s automated valuation models put a $4.8 million price tag on the home, while Duncan says his 11-acre property next door is worth about $4 million and would be included in a deal.
Anthropic, the creator of AI assistant Claude, is looking to secure financing based on a valuation of close to $1 trillion, according to reports, though Duncan is basing his proposed deal on an $800 billion valuation for the tech startup.
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Duncan is hoping to make a deal with an Anthropic employee who has a large number of shares in the company that are currently illiquid, as the company hasn’t gone public and transfers of shares are subject to restrictions. While he already holds about $1 million in Anthropic shares, he wants to increase his exposure to the company.
He told Realtor.com that he sees the deal as potentially appealing to a younger Anthropic employee who could be on track to have a large amount of valuable stock in the AI company that they want to diversify out of, adding that ahead of the IPO it would allow them to lower their tax basis.
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Duncan told the outlet that it’s a “diversification play for me, too. Less exposure to real estate, more exposure to AI. And I think Anthropic is demonstrating that it will have the most fundamental value.”
The property hasn’t been listed with agencies or the multiple listing service, according to the report, but launched a LinkedIn page for it and has received some genuine inquiries so far that haven’t led to a sale.
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Duncan said in the report that he would structure the deal so that shares would be transferred after the lockup period concludes.
He said that he’s realistic about the possibility of finding the right buyer who has Anthropic shares worth millions of dollars, but he thought it’s worth a shot, explaining that he thinks “it’s a less than 50% chance that something happens,” in part because a “home is a very emotional purchase.”
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