Nous Research, the AI company behind the open-source Hermes Agent model, has raised $90 million in Series B funding, confirming a $1.5 billion valuation, according to TechCrunch AI.
The funding round positions Nous Research to expand its AI agent offerings targeting business users. The company develops Hermes, a family of open-source language models designed for agentic reasoning and task automation. Hermes Agent represents the application layer of that technology, enabling enterprises to deploy autonomous systems for workflow automation and decision-making tasks.
Nous Research operates in the competitive space of AI agents, where companies build tools that can execute multi-step tasks with minimal human intervention. The funding injection provides capital to scale product development, expand its business-focused agent capabilities, and compete with other players developing enterprise automation solutions.
The $1.5 billion valuation reflects investor confidence in the commercialization potential of open-source AI models and agent frameworks. Open-source foundations allow companies like Nous Research to build community-driven development while monetizing through enterprise deployments, commercial support, and specialized business tools.
Hermes Agent targets organizations looking to automate knowledge work and operational processes. The agent framework enables automation of customer service, data processing, research, and other tasks that typically require human oversight. By launching agent tools specifically designed for business users, Nous Research addresses demand for practical AI automation beyond general-purpose chatbots.
The Series B funding follows earlier venture rounds that established Nous Research as a notable contributor to open-source AI development. The company competes in a landscape where both open-source and proprietary AI companies are building agent systems. OpenAI, Anthropic, and other large AI labs simultaneously develop closed-source agents, while companies like Nous Research maintain open-source alternatives that enterprises can self-host or integrate with their existing infrastructure.
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