TechCrunch AI · 10/7/2026, 8:48:45 PM
Nous Research Raises $90M Series B at $1.5B Valuation to Launch Enterprise AI Agents
Open-source AI startup Nous Research has confirmed a $90 million Series B round led by Robot Ventures, reaching a $1.5 billion valuation. The company aims to scale its Hermes agent offerings for business users, with projected annualized revenue expected to exceed $100 million by year-end.
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Image Credits:Nous Research
Nous Research confirms it hit $1.5B valuation, launches AI agents for business users
Nous Research, the startup developing the open-source Hermes agent, [has raised a 1.5 billion valuation, confirming TechCrunch’s earlier reporting.
The round was led by Robot Ventures, with participation from other backers including Nvidia, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung, and 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner. The new financing brings the three-year-old startup’s total funding to $158 million.
Popular among developers and individuals, the open-source Hermes agent has been cloned more than 24 million times, driving roughly 2.5% of global AI token usage, according to the startup’s estimates.
The capital will fund Nous Research’s push into the enterprise sector with “Hermes for Businesses,” allowing companies to deploy customized AI agents that can handle multi-step workflows while keeping their data private and secure.
Nous was at roughly 100 million before the end of 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported.