Prentis, a new AI research lab co-founded by serial entrepreneur Ritankar Das and tech heavyweights Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus, is in talks to raise $100 million at a $1 billion valuation. The startup aims to automate routine computer tasks using its Hive-32B model, which outperforms rivals on two key benchmarks: WindowsAgentArena and ScreenSpot-v2.
Prentis has already signed contracts worth up to $50 million with several customers, including healthcare management service organisations and manufacturers. The startup is betting that automating everyday office tasks will soon outpace coding as AI's biggest use case, but it's a crowded market with other players like Anthropic and OpenAI also working on similar projects.
Ritankar Das, CEO of Prentis, is also the founder of Titan, a holding company that builds and operates AI companies. The startup has already launched several businesses, including Tala Health, an AI-powered virtual care provider, and Forta Health, an autism care startup.