AI startup Mercor has secured $350 million in funding at a valuation of $10 billion, as it aims to expand its talent network and improve matching systems for clients. The company, which connects AI labs with domain experts, currently pays over $1.5 million per day to its contractors and has more than 30,000 experts on its roster.
Mercor’s journey began as an AI-driven hiring platform but pivoted to provide specialized experts for AI model training. The startup has added software infrastructure for reinforcement learning and plans to build an AI-powered recruiting marketplace. Its fortunes rose after leading AI labs like OpenAI and Google DeepMind cut ties with data-labeling startup Scale AI.
With the new funding, Mercor will focus on three areas: expanding its talent network, improving matching systems, and building new products to automate processes. The company’s CEO stated that AI has advanced significantly but still struggles with subtleties that drive economically valuable work.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/27/mercor-quintuples-valuation-to-10b-with-350m-series-c