Bessemer raises $5.75BN; partner Sameer Dholakia says seed needs $1BN today
20VC · rss · 2026-10-19
20VC interviews Bessemer partner Sameer Dholakia (investor in Anthropic, Fireworks, Legora) after Bessemer raised $5.75BN across a $1.75BN seed and $4BN growth fund. Key takes:
- An unprecedented supercycle; doing seed today requires $1BN
- Why Bessemer backed Anthropic to compete with hyperscalers — its most contentious internal deal
- Open models won't destroy closed-model markets; price and gross margins matter less in AI, capital itself is the moat
- Is "Triple, Triple, Double, Double" dead; how to discount consumer revenue quality
- Fireworks could be a $250BN business; Bessemer targets 5x on $5.75BN; IPO window could reopen by 2028
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