In Brief Posted: 1:48 PM PDT · October 7, 2026 Image Credits: Nous Res

In Brief Posted: 1:48 PM PDT · October 7, 2026 Image Credits: Nous Research Marina Temkin 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 $90 million Series B at 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 $36 million in annualized revenue by mid-September 2026 and expects to pass $100 million before the end of 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported. Topics AI , AI agents , Enterprise , Fundraising , Hermes Agent , In Brief , Startups October 13 – 15 San Francisco Get 50% off a second pass The Disrupt experience is meant to be shared. Get your pass and bring a colleague, partner, or peer at 50% off. Cover more ground by making connections, building momentum, and discovering what’s next in the startup ecosystem. BOOK NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related Startups Another personal AI assistant has launched — Meet Tab, which emerged from stealth with a $300M valuation Dominic-Madori Davis 9 hours ago Startups Ex-Ramp engineers raise $20M for platform Melius after scrapping their first product Marina Temkin 1 day ago AI The next hurdle for AI agents: getting websites to let them in Sarah Perez 1 day ago Latest in AI In Brief Nous Research confirms it hit $1.5B valuation, launches AI agents for business users Marina Temkin 2 hours ago Hardware Microsoft releases new Nvidia-chip AI PCs with revamped Windows 11 Julie Bort 2 hours ago Apps Meta’s Muse launches on iPad just a month after its mobile debut Sarah Perez 4 hours ago