H Unveils Runner H, Its First Agentic AI Product, Following $230M in Funding
Paris-based AI startup H has launched its first product, Runner H, a compact agentic AI platform designed for businesses and developers. The launch comes after raising $230 million in initial funding from investors including Accel, Creandum, Amazon, Samsung, and UiPath. The company is now gearing up for a Series A round to further establish itself in what it calls the “second era of AI.”
Compact AI for Key Use Cases
Runner H is built on H’s proprietary compact large language model (LLM), which operates with only 2 billion parameters. Unlike larger models, this design prioritizes efficiency and cost-effectiveness, enabling businesses to integrate AI solutions without the heavy infrastructure demands of larger systems. The platform focuses on three primary use cases: robotic process automation (RPA), quality assurance, and business process outsourcing (BPO).
For RPA, Runner H automates repetitive tasks like reading forms, navigating websites, and transferring data, even when formats or templates change. Quality assurance applications include website testing, simulating user actions, and ensuring compatibility across systems. In BPO, Runner H supports faster data retrieval, billing improvements, and streamlined workflows for customer-facing operations.
Efficiency and Performance
H’s compact approach to LLMs also extends to its computer vision-based VLM, emphasizing operational efficiency and lower costs. Despite its smaller scale, the company claims its models outperform competitors like Anthropic, Mistral, and Meta in specific benchmarks. This compact design aligns with H’s goal of making AI accessible and practical for businesses across industries like e-commerce, banking, and outsourcing.
Building the Second Era of AI
H positions itself as part of the “second era of AI,” moving beyond foundational LLMs to create specialized, actionable solutions for businesses. Runner H is not just a technology showcase; it’s a practical tool designed to address real-world challenges in automation and efficiency. The company has been quietly working with early adopters to refine its offerings and plans to scale access through APIs and the H-Studio management platform.
Scaling AI for Business
With the introduction of Runner H, H aims to establish itself as a leader in agentic AI, offering powerful yet efficient tools for enterprises. By focusing on compact models, the company is well-positioned to drive adoption in a market increasingly seeking cost-effective AI solutions.
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