San Francisco-based startup Hone has secured $60 million in a seed funding round, reaching a post-money valuation of $285 million. The investment was announced on October 8, 2026, following the company's public launch in mid-August.
The funding round was led by Benchmark and Index Ventures, with participation from Elad Gil, SV Angel, and other investors. Prior to this capital injection, the company held a pre-money valuation of $225 million.
Hone was founded by a team of former employees from OpenAI, Cognition, Mercor, Ramp, and Jane Street. CEO Moritz Stephan previously served as chief of staff at Cognition AI and has a research background from Stanford.
The startup develops AI agents designed to manage long-term business operations, such as procurement and lead conversion, rather than performing single tasks. Current early customers include Cognition and Modal.
Investors emphasized the necessity of security safeguards for AI agents that require access to sensitive corporate data. The company aims to bridge the gap between the theoretical capabilities of AI models and their practical application in business.
