micro1 is building human intelligence infrastructure for frontier AI development. Its thesis is that a model is only as good as its data, so it focuses on sourcing and managing vetted domain experts who create high-quality, domain-specific datasets for AI labs across fields like healthcare, legal and finance.
The platform centers on a Data Engine where experts produce and deliver datasets, paired with Zara, an AI recruiter agent that sources and rigorously vets specialists rather than relying on low-cost commodity labor. Additional products include Cortex for evaluating and fine-tuning agentic AI, Realm for reinforcement learning environments that improve model reasoning, and high-fidelity robotics datasets for humanoid training.
micro1 is led by founder and CEO Ali Ansari and is based in Palo Alto, California. The company reported rapid revenue growth, reaching roughly $50M in annual recurring revenue in 2025, up sharply from about $7M at the start of the year, positioning it as a quality-focused challenger to incumbent data-labeling providers.
In early 2026 micro1 raised $35M at a $500M valuation, with investors attracted by its expert-vetting model and fast growth. The round funds expansion of its expert network and product suite.
By combining an AI-driven recruiting layer with expert-generated data and evaluation environments, micro1 aims to be the trusted source of human expertise that frontier labs depend on.