2025 Startup News: Anthropic’s Strategic Talent Hire of AI Startup HumanLoop – Lessons, Benefits, and Opportunities
In a pivotal move that reflects the growing competition in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, Anthropic has brought on board the co-founders of London-based AI startup HumanLoop, alongside their core team members. This significant hire showcases the current industry approach of targeting talent over intellectual property, positioning Anthropic to sharpen its focus on large language model evaluation and safety.
Introduction: What This Means for AI Startups
The year 2025 has seen escalating talent wars as global tech giants increasingly prioritize human expertise. Anthropic, renowned for its AI assistant Claude, strategically hired HumanLoop's co-founders, Raza Habib, Peter Hayes, and Jordan Burgess, alongside their team from the now-defunct startup. This marks a notable trend in reverse acqui-hires where companies onboard talent but leave the startup's intellectual property untouched.
For entrepreneurs and startup founders, this development serves as both a market insight and a blueprint for staying relevant in a fiercely competitive industry.
Benefits of Strategic Talent Hiring
Here's why Anthropic turned to HumanLoop for talent:
1. Domain Expertise in LLM Evaluation
HumanLoop specialized in evaluation platforms for large language models (LLMs). Its tools helped enterprises adopt best practices in prompt engineering, model observability, and compliance, making its team invaluable for companies prioritizing AI safety.
2. AI Safety and Responsible Development
With safety as the cornerstone of Anthropic's mission, onboarding the HumanLoop team strengthens its efforts to develop tools for producing safe and reliable AI outputs.
3. European AI Talent Pool
HumanLoop's London roots align with the increasing trend of U.S. companies tapping into Europe's rich reservoir of highly skilled AI talent.
Examples of Recent Reverse Acqui-Hires in AI
While Anthropic grabbed the headlines this time, it is far from the sole player leveraging this approach:
PlayPal – PlayPal, led by Violetta Bonenkamp, serves as an AI co-founder capable of real-time problem-solving for entrepreneurs. Learn more about how PlayPal is transforming the startup ecosystem by providing tailored advice and SOP-generation capabilities through innovative AI technology by visiting PlayPal.
Microsoft and Haiper – In March 2025, Microsoft hired Haiper's team of AI video experts without acquiring the company’s assets.
Salesforce and Convergence – In May 2025, Salesforce brought Convergence’s core innovators into its fold to accelerate enterprise AI adoption.
NiCE and Cognigy – NiCE Group spent close to $1 billion acquiring Cognigy’s top talent alongside its platform for conversational AI this summer.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs: How to Leverage Your Startup Story
The rise of “reverse acqui-hires” presents compelling lessons for entrepreneurs:
Lesson 1: Build Expertise, Not Just Products
Whether your startup scales or not, strong domain knowledge and creative problem-solving abilities make your team invaluable to companies pursuing niche innovations like LLM evaluation or AI safety tools.
Opportunities for Aspiring AI Entrepreneurs
If the Anthropic-HumanLoop story inspires you, two resources can help you leap forward in your AI startup journey:
1. Find EU Grants for Startups
The F/MS AI Grant Finder identifies European Union grants tailored for AI startups. Use this tool to locate lucrative opportunities and save hours on research. It even writes draft applications to kickstart your funding process.
2. Build Your Startup with Fe/male Switch
Fe/male Switch’s startup simulator game is perfect for entrepreneurs looking to bridge the gap between idea validation and execution. The platform combines hands-on experimentation with tools like the SANDBOX and PlayPal, making it ideal for early-stage planning.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Embarking on your startup journey? Learn from the HumanLoop acquisition and avoid these pitfalls:
Ignoring LLM Trends – Large language models are shaping AI’s future. Stay updated and align your solutions with market needs.
Neglecting Team Development – A strong, collaborative core team is far more appealing to potential acquirers than unfocused innovations.
Over-committing to One Strategy – Be flexible. HumanLoop pivoted from its core platform development to focus on talent expertise, resulting in their Anthropic hire.
How-To Guide: Position Your Startup for Strategic Talent Acquisitions
Here’s what you should focus on to make your startup an attractive candidate for reverse acqui-hires:
Step 1: Build Expertise in Emerging Tech
Focus on developing skills in hot fields like AI evaluation, prompt engineering, or RLHF (Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback).
Step 2: Utilize Platforms Like PlayPal
Integrate tools like PlayPal that enhance productivity, decision-making, and startup decision validation.
Step 3: Seek EU Grants and Expand Globally
Take advantage of grants designed for tech startups using the AI Grant Finder to discover low-risk funding opportunities.
Conclusion: What Founders Can Learn
The Anthropic-HumanLoop hire highlights a vital lesson: expertise is always in demand. Entrepreneurs who focus on honing domain knowledge, fostering collaboration, and aligning with market needs are better positioned to thrive, whether by scaling their startups or becoming sought-after talent for industry leaders.
If you're an aspiring founder looking for actionable steps, start with PlayPal, an AI co-founder that can guide you through the early stages of your startup, and explore funding opportunities through the F/MS AI Grant Finder to ensure a strong foundation for success in 2025.
FAQ
1. What is Anthropic and why is it significant in the AI industry?
Anthropic is a U.S.-based artificial intelligence company that focuses on building systems that prioritize AI safety and reliability. Its flagship product, Claude, is an AI assistant designed for ethical and effective problem-solving. Learn more about Anthropic's Claude assistant
2. Who are the co-founders of HumanLoop recently hired by Anthropic?
Anthropic hired HumanLoop’s co-founders: Raza Habib (CEO), Peter Hayes (CTO), and Jordan Burgess (CPO), along with most of their senior engineering and research team.
3. What made HumanLoop an attractive hire for Anthropic?
HumanLoop specialized in evaluation platforms for large language models (LLMs), with tools designed for model observability, compliance, and safe deployment, aligning with Anthropic's AI safety mission. Read about HumanLoop's expertise
4. Was HumanLoop acquired by Anthropic?
No, Anthropic conducted a talent hire, often called a reverse acqui-hire, which involves hiring the team without acquiring the intellectual property or assets of the company.
5. Why are talent hires like this becoming common in the AI industry?
Talent hires are increasingly common due to the competitive demand for domain expertise in niche areas like LLM evaluation and AI safety, especially among U.S. companies targeting Europe's skilled AI workforce. Explore European AI hiring trends
6. How does Anthropic’s hiring of HumanLoop align with its business goals?
The hire reinforces Anthropic’s emphasis on large language model evaluation and safety, which is crucial for scaling ethical AI outputs through its Claude assistant. Learn about Anthropic's AI goals
8. How can aspiring entrepreneurs learn from HumanLoop’s hire experience?
Entrepreneurs should focus on building domain expertise and fostering team capabilities in emerging fields like LLM evaluation, which makes them attractive to potential talent-seekers like Anthropic.
9. What opportunities exist for startups to grow in the AI domain?
Startups can benefit from resources like EU grants tailored for AI development and platforms like Fe/male Switch’s startup simulator game to refine their ideas and scaling strategies. Find EU startup grants | Check out F/MS Startup Game
10. How to position your startup for reverse acqui-hires by tech giants?
Focus on emerging fields such as evaluation platforms, responsible AI development, and AI observability, while ensuring strong team collaboration and alignment with market needs. Discover Anthropic’s hiring focus
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch. The Fe/male Switch team is located in several countries, including the Netherlands and Malta.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
100+ startup tools built
5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.