Nous Research Hits $1.5B Valuation with $90M Series B
Nous Research, the startup behind the open-source Hermes agent, has officially 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 Nvidia, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung, and 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner. This new financing brings the three-year-old startup's total funding to $158 million.
Hermes Agent Drives Massive Adoption
Popular among developers and individual users, the open-source Hermes agent has been cloned more than 24 million times, according to the startup's estimates. It now powers roughly 2.5% of global AI token usage, underscoring its significant footprint in the AI ecosystem.
Enterprise Push: Hermes for Businesses
The new capital will fund Nous Research's expansion into the enterprise sector with "Hermes for Businesses." This offering will allow companies to deploy customized AI agents capable of handling multi-step workflows while keeping their data private and secure.
Revenue Trajectory and 2026 Outlook
By mid-September 2026, Nous was at approximately $36 million in annualized revenue. The company expects to surpass $100 million before the end of 2026, according to The Wall Street Journal. This aggressive growth target reflects both the strong demand for open-source AI tools and the company's strategic move into enterprise markets.
via TechCrunch AI