Prentis, AI lab co-founded by Reid Hoffman and Marc Pincus, in talks to raise $100M

Prentis, a new artificial intelligence research lab specializing in computer-use models, is in talks to raise $100 million at a $1 billion valuation, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Launched in April, the startup trains models to learn how office workers navigate routine workflows across documents and systems, aiming to build AI agents that can control computers to automate these tasks. Prentis plans to develop tailored agents for customer needs, such as handling insurance claims and automating customs duty refund exceptions.

The company has already signed contracts worth up to $50 million with several customers, including a healthcare management service organization, a manufacturer, and goods and clothing manufacturers. Investor materials project an estimated $75 million annualized run rate by the third quarter of this year, though the figures are performance-dependent and not yet recognized as revenue.

Prentis claims its Hive-32B model outperforms rivals, including OpenAI’s GPT-5.4 and Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6, on two computer-use benchmarks: WindowsAgentArena and ScreenSpot-v2. The company argues its edge comes from running a much smaller, cheaper model, claiming roughly 10 times lower cost per task than frontier APIs. However, TechCrunch has not independently verified these results.

The market is crowded, with Anthropic, OpenAI, and Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines also developing similar AI agents for computer use. Anthropic recently acquired the Seattle-based startup Vercept to bolster its capabilities.

CEO Ritankar Das, 31, is also the founder of Titan, a holding company that builds and operates AI firms, including Tala Health and Forta Health. Co-founder Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner, recently stepped down from Microsoft’s board to focus on a new AI venture, Manas AI. Marc Pincus, Zynga founder, runs investment firm Reinvent Capital and published a memoir last month.

Prentis has hired over 25 employees, including researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Meta, Tencent, and Alibaba.