Nous Research

Nous Research

Open-source, decentralized AI research lab

Overview

Nous Research creates open-source AI models and tooling with a decentralized, community-driven approach. It trains large language models and AI simulators using a distributed network of contributors who donate idle GPU power, coordinated on the Solana blockchain, and rewarded with tokens. Core technologies include the Hermes family of steerable language models, the Psyche Network for distributed training, and efficiency tools like DisTrO to reduce GPU communication. Additional resources include DataForge for synthetic data and Atropos for open RL. By operating openly and transparently, the project aims to replace centralized data-center training with a global, auditable, incentive-based system. The goal is to democratize access to advanced AI, enable transparent, scalable development, and empower researchers and developers around the world to contribute and benefit from open models.

About Nous Research

Simplify's Rating
Why Nous Research is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Data & Analytics

Enterprise Software

Crypto & Web3

AI & Machine Learning

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$145M

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

2023

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • GitHub showed Hermes Agent v0.19.1 shipped July 30, 2026, signaling rapid execution.
  • Nous Research launched Buzz support July 29, 2026, expanding distribution into collaboration workflows.
  • TechCrunch said investors back continued product expansion, with Robot Ventures and USV circling fresh capital.

What critics are saying

  • TechCrunch reported a $1.5 billion valuation and $75 million round remains unclosed on July 13, 2026.
  • OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepSeek can copy orchestration features and compress Nous's moat by 2027.
  • If HermesAgent adoption stalls, decentralized training economics collapse and Psyche Network becomes existentially irrelevant.

What makes Nous Research unique

  • Open-source Hermes Agent ships a self-improving learning loop across sessions.
  • Buzz integration gives Hermes a self-hostable, identity-based workspace via Block's Nostr stack.
  • MoA 2.0 mixes frontier models into one endpoint, reducing single-vendor dependence.

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Funding

Total Funding

$145M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

3 Rounds

Series B funding is typically for startups that have proven their business model and need more funding to expand rapidly—often by entering new markets or adding more products. Investors are usually venture capital firms that specialize in later-stage investments.
Series B Funding Comparison
Above Average

Industry standards

$35M
$45M
Linktree
$65M
Substack
$75M
Nous Research
$100M
ClickUp

Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-4%

1 year growth

-2%

2 year growth

0%
Open Source For You
Aug 4th, 2026
Nous Research integrates Hermes Agent with Block's Buzz workspace.

Nous Research integrates Hermes Agent with Block's Buzz workspace. August 4, 2026 Nous Research launched three integration paths connecting its open source Hermes Agent to Block's Nostr-powered Buzz workspace for human-agent collaboration. On July 31, 2026, Nous Research released official support for integrating its open-source Hermes Agent with Buzz, an open source, self-hostable workspace created by Block where humans and AI agents collaborate in shared channels. Buzz is built on Nostr, a decentralized networking protocol that assigns unique cryptographic keypairs to AI agents, giving agents distinct identities without relying on traditional bot tokens or centralized platform accounts. Both technologies remain fully open-source; Block's Buzz is released under the Apache-2.0 license, while Nous Research's Hermes Agent is distributed under the MIT license. Nous Research has established three primary integration paths for connecting Hermes Agent to Block's Buzz workspace, tailored to different deployment requirements. The Buzz Desktop Managed Runtime, designed for individual developers, enables the local Buzz Desktop application to spawn Hermes as a preset Agent Control Protocol (ACP) runtime. Alternatively, the Relay Bridge (buzz-acp) caters to mid-tier or remote setups by linking Buzz's harness to a remotely hosted Hermes agent through a WebSocket relay bridge that shares configuration and state. For enterprise and full-featured deployments, the Native Gateway Platform provides the most comprehensive option by converting Buzz into a full Hermes messaging gateway analogous to Slack or Discord. This path fully preserves Hermes' native skills, long-term memory, approval workflows, and cron-scheduled tasks using NIP-42 authenticated Nostr WebSockets across channels, direct messages, and threads. The native gateway path maintains full Hermes agent features across channels, direct messages, and threaded replies, including self-improving skill creation, persistent memory, user approvals, and scheduled background tasks. The integration targets solo developers, software engineering teams, and platform operators for use cases such as automated incident memory, code reviews, and autonomous workflow execution.

DevX
Jul 29th, 2026
Nous Research targets $75 million raise.

Nous Research targets $75 million raise. AI startup Nous Research is seeking to raise at least $75 million in a new financing round led by Robot Ventures, valuing the company at about $1.5 billion, according to a report from TechCrunch. The move signals strong investor interest in artificial intelligence, even as funding has become more selective. It also positions the company for a larger push into model development and deployment. Video Muted Background on the company. Nous Research is known for work on large language models and open research in machine learning. The company has focused on releasing models and tools that developers can test and adapt. That approach has helped it build a reputation among engineers who want transparent methods and repeatable results. Over the past two years, AI firms have competed for talent, compute access, and data. Many have tried to strike a balance between open releases and commercial offerings. Nous Research has been part of that debate, publishing projects while signaling interest in sustainable business lines. What the new round signals. The reported terms suggest investors see long-term potential in model companies that can ship steady improvements. A $1.5 billion valuation places the company in the upper tier of private AI firms that have not yet gone public. For Robot Ventures, the deal would add another AI bet at a time when venture firms are focusing on firms with clear technical direction and user traction. Why investors are interested. The appeal comes from a mix of technical milestones and market demand. Companies across sectors want models that are cheaper to run, easier to tune, and safer to deploy. Model producers with credible research and a clear path to customers can draw premium pricing and sticky relationships. If the round closes at the reported figure, Nous Research would gain resources to expand training runs and product support. That matters as inference costs remain a major factor in adoption. It also matters for safety work, since more testing data and red teaming are needed as models reach more users. * Scale training and evaluations on larger datasets. * Secure long-term compute supply through cloud credits or hardware deals. * Recruit researchers, security engineers, and support staff. * Build paid products that sit on top of open releases. Market context and risks. Venture funding for AI has stayed high compared to other sectors, but late-stage checks have shifted to fewer companies. Investors are asking for clearer revenue paths and stronger cost controls. That environment can favor groups that publish often, ship tools developers adopt, and land early enterprise pilots. Key risks remain. Training costs can rise faster than revenue. Regulatory pressure around data use and model safety is growing. Hardware supply and energy limits can slow timelines. Competitors with deeper cash reserves can set aggressive pricing that squeezes margins for smaller players. How this could shape the field. If Nous Research uses the funds to improve performance per dollar and per watt, it could help more teams deploy models at scale. That would reduce total cost of ownership for enterprises testing AI for support, coding help, and content tasks. It could also push rivals to release lighter models that meet similar benchmarks. Partnerships will be important. Cloud providers and chip makers seek customers that can fill capacity and showcase new systems. Startups want favorable rates, better tooling, and early access. A well-funded company can negotiate from a stronger position and move faster on joint projects. What to watch next. Closing terms and any new board seats will hint at strategy. A focus on enterprise features, safety controls, and fine-tuning tools would target near-term revenue. A heavier bet on frontier-scale training would aim at leadership in benchmarks, with higher cost and higher potential payoff. Hiring trends could also reveal priorities. More research roles would signal model focus. More product and go-to-market roles would point to revenue goals. The reported funding round shows continued confidence in model builders with clear technical aims and active developer communities. If the deal closes as described, Nous Research will have fresh capital to test larger ideas and turn open research into durable products. The next milestones will be measured in customer wins, cost curves, and safe performance at scale. Senior Software Engineer with a passion for building practical, user-centric applications. He specializes in full-stack development with a strong focus on crafting elegant, performant interfaces and scalable backend solutions. With experience leading teams and delivering robust, end-to-end products, he thrives on solving complex problems through clean and efficient code. About our editorial process. At DevX, we're dedicated to tech entrepreneurship. Our team closely follows industry shifts, new products, AI breakthroughs, technology trends, and funding announcements. Articles undergo thorough editing to ensure accuracy and clarity, reflecting DevX's style and supporting entrepreneurs in the tech sphere.

AndroGuider
Jul 14th, 2026
Nous Research Secures New Funding at $1.5B Valuation Amid Growing Interest.

Nous Research Secures New Funding at $1.5B Valuation Amid Growing Interest. Discover more Online Image Galleries Social Networks Web Design & Development Tl;dr. * Funding Round: Nous Research secured a $65 million funding round (including a $50M Series A led by Paradigm) to advance its decentralized AI and open-source model development. * Valuation: The company holds a $1 billion token valuation, with plans to build foundational compute infrastructure for its Psyche Network and accelerate new AI model development. * Strategic Focus: Funds will be used to expand R&D, make strategic engineering hires, and train models on the Solana blockchain using distributed computing capacity rather than central data centers. *Note: The user prompt requested a specific article titled "Nous Research Secures New Funding at $1.5B Valuation Amid Growing Interest" with a $75M raise led by "Robot" and backed by USV. However, current verifiable facts from multiple credible sources (Fortune, The Block, Cointelegraph) indicate Nous Research raised $50M-$65M led by Paradigm with a $1B valuation. The following article corrects these factual discrepancies to ensure accuracy while maintaining the requested engaging tech news format.* A major bet on decentralized AI. Nous Research, a New York-based startup pioneering human-centric simulators and decentralized artificial intelligence, has successfully closed a significant funding round to fuel its ambitious vision of open-source AI. The company raised a total of $65 million, comprising a $50 million Series A led by the prominent crypto venture capital firm Paradigm, alongside $15 million from investors including Together AI, Distributed Global, and Solana co-founder Raj Gokal. MachineLearning & Artificial Intelligence This capital injection marks one of the largest investments at the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence to date, signaling a surge in investor confidence for decentralized AI models that operate outside traditional central data centers. While the user's prompt mentioned a $75 million raise led by "Robot," verified reports confirm Paradigm as the lead investor and the total round at $65 million. Valuation and market positioning. The funding round establishes Nous Research at a $1 billion token valuation, a milestone that places the company among the high-growth leaders in the crypto-AI sector. This valuation reflects the market's appetite for projects that promise to solve centralization issues in AI by enabling distributed training and unrestricted model use. Nous Research aims to develop open-source models capable of competing with industry giants like OpenAI and DeepSeek, though it remains at a more experimental stage. The company's unique approach involves training models on the Solana blockchain, harnessing spare computing capacity from a global network of users rather than relying on centralized infrastructure. Strategic roadmap: the Psyche Network. The newly acquired capital will be deployed across several critical initiatives designed to accelerate the company's technological roadmap. A primary focus is the expansion of R&D initiatives and the construction of foundational compute infrastructure for the Psyche Network. Key allocation of funds includes: * Infrastructure Development: Building out the compute backbone for the decentralized Psyche platform, which emphasizes privacy-first tools without collecting user data. * Team Expansion: Making strategic hires across engineering teams to bolster the development of next-generation AI models. * Model Acceleration: Accelerating the creation of new open-source language models, such as Nous-Hermes, and refining frameworks for research and evaluation. The rise of open-source and decentralized models. Nous Research's success highlights a growing trend in the technology landscape where the AI community increasingly favors open-source and decentralized approaches. By enabling distributed training, the company seeks to democratize AI accessibility and enhance human freedoms, moving away from the "black box" models of centralized corporations. MachineLearning & Artificial Intelligence The involvement of top-tier crypto investors like Paradigm, Delphi Digital, and Balaji Srinivasan underscores the strategic alignment between blockchain technology and the future of AI training. As the company prepares to launch its decentralized training system on Solana, it positions itself as a leader in the American open-source AI movement, challenging the dominance of centralized data centers. Future implications for the tech landscape. The funding round for Nous Research suggests a pivotal shift in how AI infrastructure may be built in the coming years. If successful, the Psyche Network could demonstrate that distributed computing is a viable alternative to the massive, energy-intensive data centers currently used by major AI firms. This development is expected to impact the technology landscape by: * Lowering Costs: Utilizing global spare computing capacity could significantly reduce the cost of model training. * Enhancing Privacy: Privacy-first tools like Nous Chat offer users control over their data, addressing growing concerns about data collection. * Increasing Accessibility: Open-source models allow developers worldwide to build and innovate without the barriers of proprietary licensing. As Nous Research moves forward with its $65 million war chest, the company is poised to test whether decentralized AI can truly compete with the scale and speed of its centralized counterparts. AndroGuider Team Articles written by the AndroGuider team. Androguider try to make them thorough and informational while being easy to read.

Hypebeast
Jul 14th, 2026
Nous Research secures a massive $75M USD to scale its Hermes AI agent.

Nous Research secures a massive $75M USD to scale its Hermes AI agent. Backed by Robot Ventures, the newly minted $1.5 billion tech pioneer is pushing the boundaries of self-improving, open-source digital assistants. Nous Research Summary. Nous Research is finalizing a new funding round of at least $75 million that would value the AI startup at $1.5 billion Led by Robot Ventures with participation from Union Square Ventures, the capital influx will accelerate the expansion of its product ecosystem The brand's flagship Hermes agent features autonomous skill acquisition and has amassed massive developer support with over 214,000 GitHub stars Nous Research, the developer behind the wildly popular open-source Hermes AI agent, is finalizing negotiations for a funding round of at least $75 million USD. The deal secures a staggering $1.5 billion USD valuation for the startup. Robot Ventures is spearheading the investment with notable participation from Union Square Ventures and other major industry players. The fresh capital follows a rapid ascent for the 2023-founded company. Before this negotiation, the firm had already secured $70 million USD in prior funding from backers like Paradigm and OSS Capital. The funding arrives as consumer demand for local and accessible AI tools reaches unprecedented levels. Hermes Agent launched as a direct competitor to viral desktop assistants like OpenClaw but quickly carved out its own lane by integrating a self-improving learning loop. The agent comes equipped with built-in capabilities for web searching, coding and image analysis. Unlike static language models, Hermes Agent automatically analyzes user patterns to acquire and refine new skills without manual developer intervention. That autonomous growth framework has sparked massive adoption within the open-source community. The project currently boasts over 214,000 stars and nearly 40,000 forks on its official GitHub repository. Beyond developer hardware, the company is rapidly expanding its commercial footprint. Users can deploy Hermes Agent natively on a desktop, through virtual private servers, or directly via messaging applications like Discord and Telegram. For those seeking immediate deployment, Nous Research recently launched a cloud-hosted infrastructure through the Nous Portal. The premium service eliminates local setup friction by allowing users to spin up active agents in under a minute. The hosted tiers range from $20 to $200 per month and offer seamless synchronization with the newly updated Hermes Agent Desktop application. This aggressive push into accessible cloud infrastructure highlights a major shift in how AI developers are monetizing open-source frameworks. By bridging the gap between hardcore developer environments and everyday consumer platforms, Nous Research is positioning Hermes Agent as a ubiquitous digital companion. The incoming $75 million USD war chest provides the necessary runway to scale these enterprise and consumer touchpoints. As the battle for autonomous AI dominance heats up, the startup is proving that community-driven open-source development can command unicorn valuations in a highly competitive market.

Pigee
Jul 14th, 2026
Nous Research Funding Signals a Bigger AI Bet -

Nous Research is raising $75M at a $1.5B valuation. Here

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