Nous Research confirms it hit $1.5B Valuation, launches AI agents for business users

Nous Research, the startup behind the open-source Hermes agent, has confirmed a $90 million Series B round at a $1.5 billion valuation, following earlier TechCrunch reporting. The round was led by Robot Ventures with participation from Nvidia, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung, and 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, bringing the three-year-old startup's total funding to $158 million. The open-source Hermes agent has been cloned over 24 million times and drives roughly 2.5% of global AI token usage, according to the company. The new capital will fund Nous Research's expansion into the enterprise sector with "Hermes for Businesses," which lets companies deploy customized AI agents capable of handling multi-step workflows while keeping data private and secure. The company was at roughly $36 million in annualized revenue by mid-September 2026 and expects to surpass $100 million before the end of 2026, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

(Source：TechCrunch)