Mercor Eyes $10B Valuation as AI Talent Marketplace Surges

✨TodayOnAI’s Daily Drop

• Mercor Eyes $10B Valuation as AI Talent Marketplace Surges

• Nuclearn Raises $10.5M to Bring AI to 65+ Nuclear Plants Worldwide

• Cognition AI Doubles Valuation with $400M Raise, But Culture Faces Heat

• 💬 Let’s Fix This Prompt

• 🧰 Today’s AI Toolbox Pick

Mercor

Mercor Eyes $10B Valuation as AI Talent Marketplace Surges

🚀 TodayOnAI Insight: Mercor, a fast-growing startup that supplies expert human talent for AI model training, is reportedly in talks to raise a Series C round at a $10B+ valuation—just months after closing a $100M Series B at $2B. The company, already working with OpenAI, Meta, and others, claims it’s on track to surpass $500M ARR.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• Mercor connects AI labs with domain experts (e.g., doctors, scientists) for model training and data labeling.

• It’s targeting a $10B+ valuation in its next round, up from $8B recently discussed.

• Revenue has surged from $75M ARR in February to over $450M, with $6M in profit in H1 2025.

• Clients reportedly include OpenAI, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Tesla, and Nvidia.

• Mercor is expanding into reinforcement learning infrastructure and eventually aims to build a recruiting marketplace.

💡 Why This Stands Out: Mercor’s rapid revenue growth and profitability set it apart in an AI services space often dominated by burn-heavy startups. By embedding itself in the critical labor pipeline for frontier model training, it’s becoming an indispensable partner to major AI labs. But as competitors like Scale AI and Surge AI scale aggressively—and legal scrutiny intensifies—can Mercor maintain its momentum while navigating a crowded, high-stakes field?

Nuclearn

Nuclearn Raises $10.5M to Bring AI to 65+ Nuclear Plants Worldwide

🚀 TodayOnAI Insight: AI is quietly reshaping the nuclear power industry—not by running reactors, but by modernizing how they operate. Nuclearn, a startup founded by nuclear engineers, just raised $10.5M to expand its AI tools already deployed at over 65 nuclear plants worldwide.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• Startup traction: Nuclearn raised a $10.5M Series A led by Blue Bear Capital to scale its AI tools for nuclear plant operations.

• Real-world adoption: Its software is already used at 65+ nuclear reactors globally, including where the founders first tested it—Palo Verde in Arizona.

• Tailored AI models: Nuclearn builds custom models trained on nuclear-specific language; models can run in the cloud or on-premises to meet strict security needs.

• Automation with oversight: AI handles repetitive tasks and routine documentation, but always requires human sign-off.

• Flexible integration: Power providers can adjust automation thresholds and receive alerts when human review is needed—AI acts more like a “junior employee” than a decision-maker.

💡 Why This Stands Out: As tech giants like Google and Microsoft invest in nuclear for energy reliability, startups like Nuclearn are modernizing the other side of the equation—operational efficiency. It’s a rare instance where legacy infrastructure is embracing AI, not to replace humans, but to amplify them. Could nuclear power become one of AI’s most unexpected proving grounds?

Cognition

Cognition AI Doubles Valuation with $400M Raise, But Culture Faces Heat

🚀 TodayOnAI Insight: Cognition AI has secured $400 million in new funding at a $10.2 billion valuation, more than doubling its worth since early 2025. The surge reflects explosive growth for its AI coding agent Devin and a rapid rise in revenue.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• Funding milestone: Cognition AI raised $400M in a round led by Founders Fund, with backing from Lux Capital, 8VC, Elad Gil, Definition Capital, and Swish Ventures.

• Valuation jump: The company’s valuation soared from $4B to $10.2B in less than a year.

• Revenue growth: Devin’s annual recurring revenue hit $73M in June, up from just $1M in September 2024.

• Efficient scaling: Despite rapid growth, Cognition’s net burn has stayed below $20M since launch.

• Culture under scrutiny: The company recently laid off 30 employees and offered buyouts to its remaining 200, following reports of intense 80-hour, six-day workweeks.

💡 Why This Stands Out: Cognition’s rise underscores the accelerating appetite for AI-native software agents—particularly those automating high-leverage workflows like coding. But the company’s internal pressures highlight a growing tension in AI startups: scaling fast without burning out talent. Can sustained innovation coexist with sustainable culture?

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🧰 Today’s AI Toolbox Pick

• 🌲Email Tree (Email Tool): Streamlines email management with automated responses for quick replies.

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• 😴AI Employe (Email Tool): Automates email-to-CRM/ERP data transfers like understanding emails, receipts, and invoices to gain hours back.