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Startups & Venture·October 7, 2026·1 min read

Sources: Dallas-based Disruptive is targeting up to $10B for a late-stage fund, and has secured $7.5B; founded in 2012, it has backed Groq and Reflection AI

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A $10 billion late-stage fund with AI infra wins like Groq shows that capital is concentrating around a small set of perceived platform bets. If you’re an AI startup eyeing growth rounds, expect fewer but larger checks—and much tougher proof requirements that you’re a core part of the stack, not a feature.

Startups & Venture

Nous Research, which makes the open-source Hermes AI agent that has hit 22M+ downloads since February, raised $90M at a $1.2B valuation to expand to enterprises

A $90 million round at a $1.2 billion valuation on the back of 22 million Hermes downloads shows open-source agents are now credible enterprise contenders, not just hobbyist tools. If you’re buying assistants, you now have to weigh open-source stacks with services against closed platforms on control, cost, and roadmap leverage.