Research note
Research note: Nous Research raises $90 million to build a business version of its open-source Hermes agent
How we checked the Nous Research round, which numbers come from the WSJ and which from the company, and what Hermes Agent is.
What we set out to check
The size of the round, who invested, the valuation, what Hermes Agent is, and which numbers come from the company.
What we found
- Two outlets agree on $90 million, Robot Ventures as lead, and Nvidia, M12 and Samsung as investors.
- The $1.5 billion valuation comes from the WSJ, not the company.
- Nous’s own site confirms Hermes Agent is MIT-licensed.
Numbers that differ
Dealroom gives total funding of about $158 million; Trending Topics says about $160 million. We give the range. An earlier report from the summer said $75 million at the same valuation; the final figure reported is $90 million.
Labels we chose and why
- Reported for round details carried by two outlets.
- Company claim for revenue figures.
What we could not verify
- The WSJ article and the company’s fundraise note directly.
- Pricing for Hermes for Businesses.
What we searched
- Nous Research Series B $90 million Hermes
- Nous Research valuation $1.5 billion WSJ
- Hermes Agent MIT licence
Every source we read
| Source | Used? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dealroom | USED | Summarises the WSJ report and the company’s note; flags that the valuation was not disclosed by Nous. |
| Trending Topics | USED | Independent report confirming amount, lead investor and business model. |
| Nous Research website | USED | Official description of Hermes Agent and its licence. The fundraise note was not on the page we opened. |
| The Wall Street Journal | NOT USED | Original report is paywalled for our tools. |