Prentis, a new AI research lab, is reportedly in discussions to secure $100 million in funding at a $1 billion valuation. The company, co-founded by entrepreneurs Ritankar Das, Reid Hoffman, and Marc Pincus, focuses on developing AI agents capable of automating office workflows.
Prentis Focuses on AI Agents for Computer Use
Launched in April, Prentis is developing artificial intelligence models trained to understand how office workers handle routine tasks across various documents and systems. The ultimate goal is to create AI agents that can autonomously manage these computer-based operations, aiming to boost efficiency in business environments.
These AI agents will be designed to meet specific customer needs. Examples include automating insurance claims processing and handling exceptions for customs duty refunds, tasks that currently require significant human intervention to locate and manage paperwork.
Early Contracts and Performance Claims
Sources familiar with the discussions indicate Prentis has already secured contracts valued up to $50 million. These agreements are with diverse clients, including a healthcare management service organization, a manufacturer, and companies in the goods and clothing sectors. Investor materials project an annualized run rate of $75 million by the third quarter of this year.
Prentis claims its proprietary model, Hive-32B, surpasses competitors like OpenAI's GPT-5.4 and Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 on key computer-use benchmarks. These include WindowsAgentArena, which assesses task completion on Windows applications, and ScreenSpot-v2, which measures a model's ability to identify on-screen controls.
The company attributes its competitive edge to using a smaller, more cost-effective model. Prentis states its cost per task is approximately one-tenth that of frontier APIs, making it a more economical option for everyday workflow automation. TechCrunch has not independently verified these benchmark results.
Crowded Market and Founding Team
Prentis operates in a competitive landscape, with other major players like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Mira Murati's Thinking Machines also developing AI agents for computer use. Anthropic has recently acquired talent in this area, including the Seattle-based startup Vercept.
The startup's co-founders bring significant experience to the venture. Ritankar Das, CEO of Prentis, also founded Titan, a holding company for AI ventures. Reid Hoffman is a co-founder of LinkedIn and a partner at Greylock, while Marc Pincus founded Zynga and now leads Reinvent Capital.
Prentis has assembled a team of over 25 employees, including researchers who previously worked at leading tech firms such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Meta, Tencent, and Alibaba.
