Nous Research Confirms $1.5 Billion Valuation After $90M Raise

Nous Research has confirmed a $1.5 billion valuation on the back of a $90 million Series B round, and the three-year-old startup is using the capital to push its open source Hermes Agent technology into corporate accounts, according to TechCrunch, which first reported the deal and confirmed the figures on October 7, 2026.

How much did Nous Research raise, and at what valuation?

The Series B totals $90 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, per TechCrunch's October 7, 2026 reporting. That brings Nous Research's cumulative funding to $158 million since its founding three years ago, according to the same report. TechCrunch noted the figures confirm its own earlier reporting on the deal, meaning the numbers had circulated before the company's formal confirmation.

Who backed the round?

Robot Ventures led the Series B, TechCrunch reported. Other participants named in the report include Nvidia, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung, and 1789 Capital. TechCrunch's report specifically flagged that Donald Trump Jr. is a partner at 1789 Capital, one of the listed investors. The mix spans a hardware giant (Nvidia), a consumer electronics manufacturer (Samsung), and established venture firms (Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures), suggesting interest from both chipmakers and traditional VC rather than a single investor category.

How widely used is Hermes Agent today?

Hermes Agent, the open source product Nous Research built before this enterprise push, has been cloned more than 24 million times, according to the startup's own estimates as cited by TechCrunch. The company also estimates Hermes Agent drives roughly 2.5% of global AI token usage, per the same TechCrunch report. Both figures come from Nous Research's internal estimates rather than an independent audit, a distinction TechCrunch's brief makes clear by attributing them directly to "the startup's estimates."

What is Hermes for Businesses, and why launch it now?

The new funding will finance "Hermes for Businesses," a product letting companies deploy customized AI agents for multi-step workflows while keeping data private and secure, TechCrunch reported. The move marks a shift from Hermes Agent's current user base — described by TechCrunch as popular among developers and individuals — toward enterprise buyers who need data controls baked into agent deployments. The timing lines up with a broader wave of agent-focused product launches; TechCrunch's related coverage the same week included a Nvidia-chip AI PC release from Microsoft and an iPad launch of Meta's Muse app, both signs that agent and on-device AI tools are converging on business and consumer segments simultaneously.

How much revenue is Nous Research generating?

TechCrunch's report cites The Wall Street Journal for revenue figures: Nous Research was at roughly $36 million in annualized revenue by mid-September 2026, and the company expects to pass $100 million before the end of 2026. That would mean nearly tripling annualized revenue within roughly three and a half months, based on the trajectory described in the TechCrunch report. No further detail on the revenue mix — subscription versus usage-based agent billing, for instance — appears in the sourced material.

The Numbers

• $90 million — Size of the Series B round, per TechCrunch, October 7, 2026.
• $1.5 billion — Post-money valuation confirmed in the same TechCrunch report.
• $158 million — Total funding raised since the company's founding three years ago, per TechCrunch.
• 24 million+ — Number of times Hermes Agent has been cloned, according to Nous Research's own estimate cited by TechCrunch.
• 2.5% — Nous Research's estimated share of global AI token usage, per the same TechCrunch report.
• $36 million — Annualized revenue as of mid-September 2026, sourced by TechCrunch to The Wall Street Journal.
• $100 million — Annualized revenue target Nous Research expects to clear before the end of 2026, per the same Wall Street Journal figure cited by TechCrunch.

Taken together, the numbers describe a company TechCrunch frames as moving from a developer-favorite open source tool toward a revenue-generating enterprise vendor, backed by investors spanning chip manufacturing, consumer electronics, and venture capital. The sourced material does not specify Hermes for Businesses pricing, contract terms, or named enterprise customers, so those remain open questions as the product rolls out.