Nous Research, the three-year-old AI startup behind the open-source Hermes Agent, has confirmed a $90 million Series B funding round at a $1.5 billion valuation. The Nous Research Series B was led by Robot Ventures and brings the company’s total funding to $158 million.
Alongside the financing, the startup launched “Hermes for Businesses,” a product aimed at bringing its popular open-source AI agent into the enterprise market, where companies can deploy customized agents for multi-step workflows while keeping their data private and secure.
FAKTA: Nous Research $90M Funding Round
- Round: $90 million Series B, confirmed on October 7, 2026
- Valuation: $1.5 billion
- Lead investor: Robot Ventures
- Other investors: Nvidia, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung and 1789 Capital
- Total funding to date: $158 million
- Product launched: “Hermes for Businesses” for enterprise AI agent deployments
- Hermes Agent adoption: cloned more than 24 million times, driving roughly 2.5% of global AI token usage, according to the startup’s estimates
- Revenue: around $36 million in annualized revenue by mid-September 2026; the company expects to pass $100 million before the end of 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported
Why the Nous Research Series B Round Matters
The round is a strong signal that investors are willing to pay up for open-source AI distribution. Unlike the closed models sold by the largest AI labs, Nous Research publishes its software openly while charging for hosted and enterprise services around it — a model that has to convert enormous developer enthusiasm into paying corporate customers.
The numbers on adoption are striking. The open-source Hermes Agent has been cloned more than 24 million times and accounts for roughly 2.5% of all AI token usage worldwide, according to the company’s own estimates. Those figures are company estimates rather than independently verified measurements, but they help explain why backers including Nvidia and Samsung joined the round.
From Open-Source Downloads to Enterprise Deals
The capital will fund Nous Research’s push into the enterprise sector. With “Hermes for Businesses,” companies can deploy customized AI agents able to browse the web, edit files, write code and handle multi-step workflows, while retaining control over their data.
The monetization question is the central test for the startup. Open-source projects can build huge developer followings without capturing much revenue, and Nous Research is betting that it can turn openness into distribution — charging companies for deployment, security, management and enterprise features around the model.
On the revenue front, the company was at roughly $36 million in annualized revenue by mid-September 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported, and it expects that figure to pass $100 million before the end of 2026. That is a company forecast, not realized full-year revenue, and the enterprise push will test whether developer enthusiasm translates into durable corporate spending.
Investors Betting on Open AI Agents
Robot Ventures led the financing, with Nvidia, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung and 1789 Capital also participating, TechCrunch reported. The investor lineup mixes AI-native venture capital, chip and hardware giants, and traditional venture firms.
The participation of Nvidia and Samsung reads as more than a routine startup investment. Both companies have a strategic interest in where AI workloads run, and backing an open-source agent that already accounts for a measurable share of global AI token usage gives them a stake in one of the most widely distributed AI systems outside the biggest labs.
The Road Ahead for Nous Research
With $158 million raised and a $1.5 billion valuation, Nous Research now has the capital to compete for enterprise customers against the AI industry’s largest players. The next twelve months will show whether its open-source distribution advantage can be converted into the $100 million-plus revenue run rate it is targeting.
For founders and investors watching the AI market, the round marks a clear data point: in 2026, verifiable developer adoption remains one of the most bankable assets a startup can bring to a fundraise.
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