Vals, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, is looking to become the gold standard for AI benchmarking

TechCrunch · Lucas Ropek · 19 September 2026, 13:00

Vals, a 2024 AI benchmarking startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz, raised a $40 million series A to replace outdated evaluation methods with industry-task and impact-focused testing. The financing is led by Andreessen Horowitz. As a result, Vals will expand staffing from 8 to 25 and plans to relocate while also evaluating models for federal agencies.

Why it matters

Vals AI is hoping to make AI benchmarking a more neutral and trustworthy resource in a world increasingly inundated by AI models.