Apollo backs $1.5B AI joint venture and touts private credit safety
Apollo joins Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, Goldman Sachs and other investors in backing a $1.5 billion enterprise AI firm to embed Anthropic’s Claude AI within midsize businesses across healthcare, finance and manufacturing. Apollo co-President John Zito says private credit is among the safest assets in a higher-volatility, AI-driven market.
1. Apollo co-leads $1.5B Enterprise AI Venture
Apollo Global Management joined Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, Goldman Sachs and other investors in a combined $1.5 billion funding round to form an independent enterprise AI firm with Anthropic. The venture will embed Anthropic engineers and integrate Claude AI into midsize companies spanning healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, retail, real estate and infrastructure, initially targeting portfolio firms of the backers.
2. Private Credit Prevails in Higher-Volatility Markets
Apollo Asset Management co-President John Zito highlighted that private credit stands as one of the safest asset classes during a higher-volatility regime driven by AI’s growing influence on markets. He argued that while volatility is rising, private credit’s secured return profile and covenants make it a defensive allocation compared with other fixed-income and alternative strategies.