Anthropic is making a strategic move into Europe that could reshape how businesses adopt artificial intelligence—and intensify competition with some of the world’s biggest consulting firms. The AI company behind Claude is backing a new independent consultancy with London-based private equity firm Hg, aiming to help European businesses build AI-powered products, modernize existing operations, and turn emerging technology into practical business tools.
With planned hubs in London and Berlin and a launch targeted for the end of 2026, the venture signals a potentially significant shift in Anthropic’s commercial strategy. Rather than relying entirely on established consulting partners to bring its technology into large organizations, the company is preparing to play a more direct role in delivering AI implementation services.
The move also raises a bigger question: could Anthropic become a competitor to the very consulting firms that have helped introduce Claude to enterprise customers?
According to reporting by the Financial Times, the planned consultancy will bring together consultants and engineers to work directly with European businesses. The partnership combines Anthropic’s AI expertise with Hg’s private equity backing and its extensive portfolio of software-related investments, creating a foundation for a new business focused on enterprise AI adoption.
Anthropic and Hg Join Forces to Accelerate Enterprise AI Adoption
The planned consultancy represents a new chapter in the relationship between Anthropic and Hg, which dates back to 2024.
Under the reported arrangement, Anthropic will contribute capital from its own balance sheet, while Hg will invest through funds it manages. Those investments include HgCapital Trust, the London-listed investment company associated with the private equity firm.
The two companies intend to establish operations in London and Berlin, positioning the venture to work with businesses across major European markets. Its primary objective will be to help organizations move beyond experimenting with AI and begin incorporating the technology into everyday business processes.
That work could include developing new AI-powered products and services, integrating AI into existing software systems, and identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency.
The emphasis on hands-on implementation is important. While businesses have shown growing interest in generative AI, adopting the technology at scale can require substantial technical expertise, organizational changes, and careful integration with existing systems.
A dedicated consultancy could help bridge that gap by placing engineers and consultants inside client organizations, allowing them to develop solutions around specific business needs rather than offering AI tools in isolation.
The Financial Times described the venture as the first standalone consultancy Anthropic has backed in Europe. The structure suggests that the company wants a more direct presence in the market for enterprise AI services, where implementation expertise can be just as important as the underlying technology.
Neither party provided on-the-record comments in the reported coverage.
Why Anthropic’s European Strategy Matters
Anthropic has built its enterprise business around Claude, its family of AI models used for tasks such as writing, analysis, software development, and business automation.
However, selling access to an AI model is only one part of the enterprise opportunity. Companies also need help identifying suitable applications, connecting AI systems to their existing infrastructure, and incorporating the technology into established workflows.
That creates a substantial opportunity for consulting and technology services providers.
By backing a consultancy that works directly with customers, Anthropic could strengthen the connection between its AI models and the businesses using them. The new venture would have the potential to help customers progress from initial trials to more sophisticated implementations.
It could also give Anthropic a better understanding of the practical challenges businesses encounter when deploying AI, including technical limitations, operational requirements, and the need to tailor solutions to different industries.
For Hg, the arrangement offers another way to support companies in its investment portfolio as AI changes the software and professional services markets.
The partnership therefore brings together two complementary strengths: Anthropic’s AI technology and Hg’s experience investing in software businesses.
If the venture gains traction, it could provide a model for expanding enterprise AI adoption across multiple European industries.
A Potential Challenge to Accenture, Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC
One of the most consequential aspects of Anthropic’s plan is the competitive overlap with established consulting firms.
Accenture, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC have all been reselling Claude to large enterprise customers. These firms have helped businesses access Anthropic’s technology while providing the consulting, integration, and implementation services needed to deploy it.
The new consultancy introduces a different dynamic.
Instead of relying exclusively on external partners to implement its technology, Anthropic will help establish a separate organization designed to deliver AI solutions directly within businesses.
That approach could put the new venture in competition with consulting firms that already have relationships with major European clients.
The potential tension is straightforward. Traditional consulting firms can help customers select AI technologies, design implementation strategies, and integrate models into complex business environments. A consultancy backed by the model developer itself could offer a more specialized alternative, with a direct connection to Anthropic’s products and technical expertise.
However, the move does not necessarily mean Anthropic intends to abandon its existing consulting relationships. Large-scale AI adoption is a broad market, and different customers may continue to rely on different providers depending on their needs.
The more immediate implication is that Anthropic appears interested in having greater influence over how its technology is implemented, rather than leaving that responsibility entirely to third-party service providers.
For established consultancies, the development highlights a potential challenge: AI model companies may increasingly seek a larger share of the services revenue generated when businesses adopt their products.
Hg’s Software Portfolio Could Give the Venture an Early Advantage
The partnership may also benefit from Hg’s existing investments in software and related businesses.
The Financial Times report identifies accountancy group Azets and Internet of Things provider AMDT as examples of companies within Hg’s portfolio that could offer a starting point for the new consultancy’s activities.
These businesses operate in different areas, but both illustrate the potential value of having access to an established network of companies that may be interested in applying AI to their operations.
For a new consultancy, securing initial customers can be one of the biggest challenges. Hg’s portfolio could help address that problem by providing potential opportunities to test AI applications, develop practical solutions, and demonstrate the value of the venture’s services.
An accountancy business, for example, may have opportunities to explore AI-assisted document processing, internal knowledge management, or workflow automation. An IoT-focused company may have different requirements involving data analysis, software development, or operational processes.
These are potential application areas rather than confirmed projects for Azets or AMDT. The reported information does not establish that either company has committed to specific implementations.
Nevertheless, access to a network of established businesses could give the consultancy a useful advantage as it begins building its operations.
It may also allow Hg to connect AI expertise with companies in which it already has a financial interest, creating opportunities to improve productivity and support the development of new services.
Anthropic Is Extending a Strategy Already Emerging in the United States
The European venture is not an isolated experiment. It follows a similar initiative in the United States, where Anthropic launched a separate business called Ode with Anthropic in July, according to the earlier reporting cited in the coverage.
That venture involved private equity firms Blackstone and Hellman & Friedman, alongside a consortium that included Goldman Sachs. It was described in earlier reporting as a $1.5 billion standalone company.
The similarities between the two initiatives are notable. In both cases, Anthropic is working with financial investors to establish a separate services business focused on helping organizations implement AI.
This structure could allow Anthropic to expand its reach without building every consulting capability entirely within its own organization.
Private equity partners can contribute capital, business relationships, and experience supporting companies through operational changes. Anthropic, meanwhile, provides the underlying AI technology and expertise needed to develop relevant solutions.
The European consultancy represents the second region-specific services vehicle Anthropic has co-founded with a private equity consortium in roughly three months, based on the reported timeline.
Taken together, the initiatives suggest that Anthropic is exploring a broader commercial model in which enterprise AI services become an important complement to selling access to its models.
What the Move Could Mean for Europe’s AI Market
Anthropic’s planned consultancy arrives as businesses continue to explore how generative AI can be integrated into their products, services, and internal operations.
The key challenge for many organizations is no longer simply gaining access to AI tools. It is determining where the technology can deliver measurable benefits and implementing it reliably across existing systems.
A dedicated consultancy could help address that challenge by combining technical development with practical business advice.
For Anthropic, the opportunity is to build stronger relationships with enterprise customers while making Claude more deeply embedded in their operations. For Hg, the venture could create new opportunities to support AI adoption across its investment portfolio.
For the consulting industry, however, the development introduces a more complicated competitive landscape. Firms that have traditionally helped businesses deploy third-party technology may increasingly find themselves competing with the technology providers themselves.
Much will depend on the consultancy’s execution, the customers it attracts, and how closely it works with Anthropic’s existing partners.
With London and Berlin planned as its initial hubs and a launch targeted for the end of 2026, the venture is still taking shape. Its eventual impact will become clearer as more details emerge about its leadership, client pipeline, and commercial model.
One thing is already evident: Anthropic is looking beyond AI model development and distribution. By investing in the services required to put its technology to work, the company is positioning itself to compete for a larger role in the enterprise AI market—and potentially challenge the consulting firms that have helped build that market in the first place.
