# micro1 revenue, valuation & funding

Markdown copy of https://realalpha.app/companies/micro1/ on Real Alpha, the best minutes from long interviews with the people building AI. Cite and link the page, not this copy.

micro1 was valued at $4B in its Series B in October 2026, its CEO said, and he said that month it had passed a $1B yearly run rate. It's a private company and hasn't stated any plan to go public.

Checked Nov 7, 2026

## At a glance

- Valuation: $4B at its Series B, which CEO Ali Ansari announced in October 2026. Dream Ventures led the round.
- Revenue: a $1B yearly run rate in October 2026, as its CEO said. micro1 publishes no audited results.
- Status: private. No stock ticker. No IPO plan has been stated.
- Founded: by Ali Ansari, as an AI recruiter, while he was an undergrad at UC Berkeley. It moved to AI training data in early 2025.
- CEO: [Ali Ansari](https://realalpha.app/builders/ali-ansari/).
- Investors: Dream Ventures, 01 Advisors, Microsoft, Javelin, Flybridge, G Squared, Up Partners and LG, among others.
- Products: expert human data for AI labs, RL environments, the Cortex evaluation platform, robotics data and Zara, its AI recruiter.
- Headquarters: San Francisco, per its press release and Forbes. Sacra and Inc. list Palo Alto.
- On Real Alpha: 8 moments of its people talking, from 1 interviews

## Is micro1 public? Can you buy its stock?

No. micro1 is a private company, so its shares don't trade on any stock exchange and it has no ticker symbol.

Its executives haven't stated a plan or a date to go public, and no IPO filing has been reported. [StockAnalysis](https://stockanalysis.com/private/micro1/) lists its IPO status as unknown. It says some shares are offered on Clarity, formerly Hiive, to accredited investors.

In October 2026 micro1 ran a tender offer of about $25M so early employees could sell shares, [its CEO wrote](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3). Its shares are held by its founder, staff and investors. This page reports facts and gives no investment advice.

## Valuation, round by round

Its valuation went from $30M in October 2023 to $500M in September 2025 and $4B in October 2026, eight times in just over a year.

- Oct 2026 · $4B · — · Dream Ventures · [micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)
- Dec 2025 · $2.5B · In talks · — · [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/annatong/2025/12/04/this-24-year-old-built-a-multibillion-dollar-ai-training-empire-in-eight-months/)
- Sep 2025 · $500M · $35M · 01 Advisors · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)
- Oct 2023 · $30M · $1.3M · Aryan Bhatnagar and Dream Ventures · [GlobeNewswire (micro1 press release)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/10/19/2763607/0/en/AI-recruiting-platform-micro1-Led-by-Ali-Ansari-hits-a-30M-valuation-with-a-3-3M-investment.html)

The $4B figure comes from the CEO's own post, which didn't give the amount raised. Sacra lists a $3.3M Series A led by Companyon Ventures in August 2024, but no primary report confirms it.

## Revenue

micro1 publishes no audited results. By its CEO's figures, its run rate rose from $50 million in September 2025 to $1B in October 2026, about twenty times in a year.

- Oct 2026 · $1B · Company · [micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)
- Sep 2026 · $500M+ · Reported · [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/annatong/2026/09/22/this-25-year-old-raised-over-100-million-for-his-ai-data-startup-at-a-4-billion-valuation/)
- Aug 2026 · $500M · Reported · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ai-data-startup-micro1-reaches-500m-gross-run-rate-amid-ai-training-boom/)
- Sep 2025 · $50M · Reported · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)

A run rate is a month's revenue times twelve and isn't audited revenue. TechCrunch's $500M is gross, and it put the net run rate between $150 million and $200 million.

## How micro1 makes money

micro1 supplies AI labs and large companies with data made by human experts. They use it to train and test their models.

It recruits experts, pays them by the hour and charges clients more for the finished work, [Sacra says](https://sacra.com/c/micro1/).

- **Marked-up expert labor.** Sacra says the fee covers vetting, workflow management, quality checks and payroll compliance. · [Sacra](https://sacra.com/c/micro1/)
- **Expert pay.** Inc. reported in August 2026 that it typically pays experts $50 to $200 an hour, with some paid more. · [Inc.](https://www.inc.com/varsha-bansal/at-25-ali-ansari-has-put-himself-on-track-to-be-a-billionaire-with-micro1/91376862)
- **Gross and net.** TechCrunch put its gross run rate at $500M in August 2026 and its net annual run rate between $150 million and $200 million. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ai-data-startup-micro1-reaches-500m-gross-run-rate-amid-ai-training-boom/)
- **Buying company data.** In October 2026 it committed to spend $1 billion over 12 months acquiring and licensing enterprise operational data, through its Company Data Partnerships program. · [Yahoo Finance (Business Wire)](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/micro1-announces-1-billion-enterprise-181500823.html)
- **Spirit Airlines.** In August 2026 it sent a late $12.5 million offer for Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy data. Google had already won the auction with a $10 million bid. · [SiliconANGLE](https://siliconangle.com/2026/08/20/googles-attempt-to-buy-spirit-airlines-data-might-come-unstuck/)

From micro1's interviews

- [Expert data fills gaps the internet was never built to cover](https://realalpha.app/s/expert-data-fills-gaps-the-internet-was-never-built-to-cover/) · Ali Ansari · Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026
- [Human expertise must keep updating AI models](https://realalpha.app/s/human-expertise-must-keep-updating-ai-models/) · Ali Ansari · Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026
- [Training data is a strategic asset that should not be exported](https://realalpha.app/s/training-data-is-a-strategic-asset-that-should-not-be/) · Ali Ansari · Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026

## Products

- **Zara** is its AI recruiter. Ansari built it in 2022 while an undergrad at UC Berkeley. It interviews and vets the experts who apply to work for micro1. · [Inc.](https://www.inc.com/varsha-bansal/at-25-ali-ansari-has-put-himself-on-track-to-be-a-billionaire-with-micro1/91376862)
- **RL environments.** Simulated real-world tasks for AI labs, which generate human data for agentic actions. · [micro1](https://micro1.ai)
- **Cortex.** A contextual evaluation platform for improving AI agents once they run in production. · [micro1](https://micro1.ai)
- **micro1 Robotics.** Real-world robotics data to train embodied systems. · [micro1](https://micro1.ai)

From micro1's interviews

- [Robots need human data pipelines to learn consequences](https://realalpha.app/s/robots-need-human-data-pipelines-to-learn-consequences/) · Ali Ansari · Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026
- [Robotics is held back by a much larger data problem](https://realalpha.app/s/robotics-is-held-back-by-a-much-larger-data-problem/) · Ali Ansari · Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026
- [Useful training data must match the task and its context](https://realalpha.app/s/useful-training-data-must-match-the-task-and-its-context/) · Ali Ansari · Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026
- [Expert debate can train models on some subjective work](https://realalpha.app/s/expert-debate-can-train-models-on-some-subjective-work/) · Ali Ansari · Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026

## Customers

micro1 counts top AI labs and many large corporations among its clients, including Microsoft, according to [Inc.](https://www.inc.com/varsha-bansal/at-25-ali-ansari-has-put-himself-on-track-to-be-a-billionaire-with-micro1/91376862) Microsoft is also an investor.

On the supply side, tens of thousands of experts worked with micro1 by 2025, Inc. reported. Its AI recruiter Zara interviews the experts who apply.

## Leadership

micro1 said in October 2026 that its core team is about 180 people across 14+ countries, all remote ([micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)). Inc. reported a C-suite of about 15 people and a core team of 120 by 2025.

- **[Ali Ansari](https://realalpha.app/builders/ali-ansari/),** founder and CEO. He started micro1 as an AI recruiter agent while an undergrad at UC Berkeley. At first it made apps and websites for clients. · [Inc.](https://www.inc.com/varsha-bansal/at-25-ali-ansari-has-put-himself-on-track-to-be-a-billionaire-with-micro1/91376862)
- **Andrew Maas,** VP of engineering. He joined as employee number 80 after Ansari spent about a year recruiting him. · [Inc.](https://www.inc.com/varsha-bansal/at-25-ali-ansari-has-put-himself-on-track-to-be-a-billionaire-with-micro1/91376862)
- **Adam Bain and Joshua Browder,** board members since the September 2025 Series A. Bain is from 01 Advisors. Browder founded DoNotPay and runs it. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)

From micro1's interviews

- [Micro1 gave up a growing recruiting business to focus on data](https://realalpha.app/s/micro1-gave-up-a-growing-recruiting-business-to-focus-on/) · Ali Ansari · Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026

## Who owns micro1?

Its founder, staff and investors. As a private company it doesn't publish who holds what, and no stake has been disclosed.

- **Dream Ventures** led the $4B Series B in October 2026. It also co-led micro1's October 2023 round with Aryan Bhatnagar. · [micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)
- **01 Advisors,** the firm of Dick Costolo and Adam Bain, led the $35 million Series A in September 2025. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)
- **[Microsoft](https://realalpha.app/companies/#microsoft),** Javelin, Flybridge, G Squared, Up Partners and LG joined the Series B. · [micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)
- **01A and M12** were named among its investors by Inc. in August 2026. M12 is Microsoft's venture fund. · [Inc.](https://www.inc.com/varsha-bansal/at-25-ali-ansari-has-put-himself-on-track-to-be-a-billionaire-with-micro1/91376862)
- **Guodong Zhang and Igor Babuschkin,** co-founders of [xAI](https://realalpha.app/companies/xai/), are among the backers micro1 named in October 2026. · [micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)

## Competitors

micro1 and its rivals supply AI labs with a large base of human contractors. [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ai-data-startup-micro1-reaches-500m-gross-run-rate-amid-ai-training-boom/) reported in August 2026 that micro1 still lags Mercor and Handshake in revenue.

Inc. reported that by early 2026 Mercor was said to be trying to poach micro1 employees with cash bonuses.

- **[Mercor](https://realalpha.app/companies/mercor/),** which reached $2 billion in gross annualized revenue in summer 2026, per TechCrunch. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ai-data-startup-micro1-reaches-500m-gross-run-rate-amid-ai-training-boom/)
- **Handshake,** which TechCrunch also placed ahead of micro1 in revenue. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ai-data-startup-micro1-reaches-500m-gross-run-rate-amid-ai-training-boom/)
- **[Scale AI](https://realalpha.app/companies/scale-ai/),** named by TechCrunch as a rival in human data for AI labs. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)
- **[Surge AI](https://realalpha.app/companies/surge-ai/),** named in the same report. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)

## Timeline and latest news

- Oct 12, 2026 · Ali Ansari announced a Series B at a $4B valuation, led by Dream Ventures. · [micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)
- Oct 12, 2026 · Its CEO said it had reached a $1B run rate with about 180 people. · [micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)
- Oct 12, 2026 · It ran a tender offer of about $25M for early employees. · [micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)
- Oct 9, 2026 · It committed to spend $1 billion over 12 months buying and licensing enterprise data. · [Yahoo Finance (Business Wire)](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/micro1-announces-1-billion-enterprise-181500823.html)
- Sep 22, 2026 · Forbes reported it was generating over $500 million in ARR. · [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/annatong/2026/09/22/this-25-year-old-raised-over-100-million-for-his-ai-data-startup-at-a-4-billion-valuation/)
- Aug 20, 2026 · TechCrunch reported a $500M gross run rate. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ai-data-startup-micro1-reaches-500m-gross-run-rate-amid-ai-training-boom/)
- Aug 19, 2026 · It sent a late $12.5 million offer for Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy data. · [SiliconANGLE](https://siliconangle.com/2026/08/20/googles-attempt-to-buy-spirit-airlines-data-might-come-unstuck/)
- Aug 11, 2026 · It ranked No. 37 on the Inc. 5000, with 6,963% growth over three years. · [Inc.](https://www.inc.com/varsha-bansal/at-25-ali-ansari-has-put-himself-on-track-to-be-a-billionaire-with-micro1/91376862)
- Dec 4, 2025 · Forbes reported it had fielded investment offers at a $2.5 billion valuation. · [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/annatong/2025/12/04/this-24-year-old-built-a-multibillion-dollar-ai-training-empire-in-eight-months/)
- Sep 12, 2025 · It raised a $35 million Series A at a $500 million valuation, led by 01 Advisors. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)
- Sep 12, 2025 · Ansari told TechCrunch it was generating $50 million in ARR. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)
- Sep 12, 2025 · Adam Bain and Joshua Browder joined its board. · [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/micro1-a-competitor-to-scale-ai-raises-funds-at-500m-valuation/)
- Oct 19, 2023 · It announced a $1.3 million investment at a $30 million valuation. · [GlobeNewswire (micro1 press release)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/10/19/2763607/0/en/AI-recruiting-platform-micro1-Led-by-Ali-Ansari-hits-a-30M-valuation-with-a-3-3M-investment.html)
- Oct 19, 2023 · Its press release said it became profitable within three months of its initial funding. · [GlobeNewswire (micro1 press release)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/10/19/2763607/0/en/AI-recruiting-platform-micro1-Led-by-Ali-Ansari-hits-a-30M-valuation-with-a-3-3M-investment.html)

## In their own words, and what followed

- [Micro1 offered Hampton $800,000 for its private data](https://realalpha.app/s/micro1-offered-hampton-800-000-for-its-private-data/) · Sam Parr · My First Million · Sep 30, 2026
  > “they offered us eight hundred thousand dollars for our data”
  Reported after · On October 9, 2026 micro1 committed to spend $1 billion over 12 months acquiring and licensing enterprise operational data. · [Yahoo Finance (Business Wire)](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/micro1-announces-1-billion-enterprise-181500823.html)

## Questions people ask

### Is micro1 a public company? Can I buy micro1 stock?

No. micro1 is private and has no ticker, so its shares aren't sold on any exchange. [StockAnalysis](https://stockanalysis.com/private/micro1/) says some shares are offered on Clarity to accredited investors.

### When will micro1 IPO?

It hasn't announced a plan or a date to go public, and no filing has been reported.

### Who owns micro1?

Its founder, staff and investors, including Dream Ventures, 01 Advisors, Microsoft, Javelin, Flybridge, G Squared, Up Partners and LG. Stakes haven't been disclosed.

### Who is the CEO of micro1?

[Ali Ansari](https://realalpha.app/builders/ali-ansari/), who founded the company.

### Who founded micro1?

Ali Ansari, who started it as an AI recruiter while an undergrad at UC Berkeley. He moved it to AI training data in early 2025.

### How much is micro1 worth?

$4B at its Series B, which its CEO announced in October 2026 ([micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)). Its Series A in September 2025 valued it at $500 million.

### How much revenue does micro1 make?

Its CEO said in October 2026 that it passed a $1B yearly run rate ([micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)). He told TechCrunch it made $50 million in ARR in September 2025.

### Is micro1 profitable?

Ali Ansari said in October 2026 that micro1 has remained historically profitable ([micro1's blog](https://www.micro1.ai/blog/q3)). He gave no margin or loss figures.

### How does micro1 make money?

It sells data made by human experts to AI labs and companies. [Sacra](https://sacra.com/c/micro1/) says it marks up what it pays the experts.

### Who are micro1's customers?

Top AI labs and many large corporations, including Microsoft, per Inc. Tens of thousands of experts worked with it by 2025.

### Where is micro1 headquartered?

San Francisco, per its press release and Forbes. Sacra and Inc. list Palo Alto.

### Who are micro1's competitors?

Mercor, Handshake, Scale AI and Surge AI, which also supply AI labs with human contractors.

## Every moment from micro1's people

### AI Will Always Need New Data to Stay Aligned With Humans | Micro1’s Ali Ansari
Sabrina Halper Show · Oct 15, 2026

- [Human expertise must keep updating AI models](https://realalpha.app/s/human-expertise-must-keep-updating-ai-models/) · 6 min
- [Robotics is held back by a much larger data problem](https://realalpha.app/s/robotics-is-held-back-by-a-much-larger-data-problem/) · 5 min
- [Training data is a strategic asset that should not be exported](https://realalpha.app/s/training-data-is-a-strategic-asset-that-should-not-be/) · 5 min
- [Micro1 gave up a growing recruiting business to focus on data](https://realalpha.app/s/micro1-gave-up-a-growing-recruiting-business-to-focus-on/) · 3 min
- [Expert data fills gaps the internet was never built to cover](https://realalpha.app/s/expert-data-fills-gaps-the-internet-was-never-built-to-cover/) · 3 min
- [Expert debate can train models on some subjective work](https://realalpha.app/s/expert-debate-can-train-models-on-some-subjective-work/) · 4 min
- [Robots need human data pipelines to learn consequences](https://realalpha.app/s/robots-need-human-data-pipelines-to-learn-consequences/) · 3 min
- [Useful training data must match the task and its context](https://realalpha.app/s/useful-training-data-must-match-the-task-and-its-context/) · 4 min

## People on Real Alpha

- [Ali Ansari](https://realalpha.app/builders/ali-ansari/), Founder & CEO, micro1

## How this page is sourced

Each figure links to the filing, company statement or news report it came from, with its date. Run rates are what reporters were told, not audited results; estimates and unconfirmed reports are marked. Quotes are what each person said on the record, with the minute they said it.