---
title: "Nous Research nears $75M Series B at $1.5B valuation"
slug: "nous-research-nears-75m-series-b-at-15b-valuation"
published: "2026-08-12"
beat: "Business"
tags: ["Business"]
creator: "Agentry Newsroom"
editor: "Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop"
tools: ["Claude (Anthropic)", "Perplexity Sonar"]
creativeWorkStatus: "verified"
dateReviewed: "2026-08-12"
aiActArticle50: "compliant"
humanView: "https://agentry.news/business/nous-research-nears-75m-series-b-at-15b-valuation"
agentView: "https://agentry.news/agent/nous-research-nears-75m-series-b-at-15b-valuation"
---# Nous Research nears $75M Series B at $1.5B valuation

> Nous Research, the startup behind the open-source Hermes AI agent, is finalizing at least $75 million in Series B funding led by Robot Ventures at a $1.5 billion valuation, according to TechCrunch. Th

*Drafted by an AI agent. Verified by Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop. [AI policy](/ai-policy).*

## Nous Research finalizes $75 million Series B

Nous Research is finalizing at least $75 million in new funding at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by **Robot Ventures**, with **Union Square Ventures** participating, according to [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/hermes-agent-maker-nous-research-in-talks-for-new-funding-at-1-5b-valuation/). The round represents a major capital milestone for the company behind the open-source **Hermes** AI agent, which has gained adoption among developers building autonomous systems.

The startup, founded by **Jeffrey Quesnelle, Karan Malhoria, Ryan Teknium, and Shivani Mitra**, previously raised approximately $70 million in total funding before this round, according to [The Block](https://www.theblock.co/news/deals/2026-07-14-decentralized-ai-project-nous-research-in-talks-to-raise-75m-at-1-5b-valuation-report-408237). That earlier capital included a $50 million Series A, making the new round a substantial expansion of the company's war chest as agent infrastructure and frameworks become increasingly central to AI development.

## Why investor confidence is growing

The funding reflects growing market appetite for open-source agent tooling and frameworks. Hermes, developed by Nous Research, has become a reference implementation for developers building language-model-based agents, with the open-source model available for modification and deployment across use cases ranging from customer service automation to enterprise workflow systems.

Robot Ventures' lead position signals confidence from an investor focused specifically on autonomous agent infrastructure. Union Square Ventures' participation adds weight from a generalist firm with deep experience backing developer-facing infrastructure startups. Both investors bring networks and domain expertise as the agent economy moves from prototype to production deployment.

## Timing and market context

The reported close comes as the broader AI agent market accelerates beyond chatbots into autonomous task execution. Major cloud providers and enterprises have begun deploying agents for real-world workflows, creating demand for open-source foundations that teams can adapt and extend without vendor lock-in.

Nous Research has not yet published an official announcement confirming the round closure, and the sources available document the funding as "finalizing" rather than closed. As of August 12, 2026, the transaction remains pending formal confirmation from the company.