Peter Thiel-backed Sentient has opened access to its open-source artificial general intelligence (AGI) network, switching on a consumer interface called Sentient Chatfor the company’s two million waitlisted users .
The launch positions the San Francisco-headquartered startup squarely against Big Tech AI stacks, with the platform built to let multiple AI agents collaborate, share context and complete complex, multi-step tasks in real time .
What’s launching?
Sentient describes today’s release as an open, collaborative network of AI agents, models and data sources that work together rather than in isolation. At start, the platform lists more than 40 specialised agents, 50 data sources, and over 10 AI models; agents span Web2 and Web3, including graphics engine Napkin, search startup Exa, and Composio (which connects agents to 250+ external tools and APIs).
These agents and data pipes are reachable through Sentient Chat, where users can discover and compose workflows end-to-end .
The Model
Instead of one large model doing everything, Sentient leans on “composable intelligence”: many specialised agents that coordinate in real time to deliver integrated answers. That means the system can, for instance, assemble investment reports that blend pricing, research and market data on the fly, or produce personalised daily briefings and research summaries via orchestrated, multi-step workflows . Sentient says this agent-mesh approach is designed to unlock capabilities “far beyond simple prompt wrapping.”
Co-founder Himanshu Tyagi argues the open architecture is the point: “open, composable intelligence can out-innovate any single company… when thousands of developers contribute specialised agents that automatically work together, you get emergent intelligence no closed system can match.”
The incentive model
Under the hood, Sentient runs a token-based economy: developers earn tokens whenever their agents, models or data sources are used; users can stake tokens behind the agents they find most valuable. The company frames this as a departure from pay-per-API models that charge usage fees without any ownership or profit-sharing for contributors .
Backing and scale
Sentient has raised about $85 million in seed funding from Founders Fund, Pantera Capital and Framework Ventures, valuing the company at $1.2 billion . Co-founders are Himanshu Tyagi and Sandip Nailwal. Nailwal called the rollout “a pivotal moment where India proves it can define the AI future, not just follow it.”
The Significance
Open rails vs. closed labs: By letting independent developers plug in and get paid directly when their components are used, Sentient is testing whether market incentives can accelerate open AI progress at scale .
User-visible collaboration: The consumer-facing Sentient Chat is not just a demo; it is the front door where two million people can assemble multi-agent workflows on day one .
India’s stake: With Nailwal foregrounding India’s role, the launch adds momentum to the case for open, sovereign AI infrastructure that doesn’t live inside a single company’s walled garden .
Sentient’s first public step isn’t another chatbot release; it’s a network strategy. If the combination of open components, real-time agent collaboration and a developer-first rewards system works as advertised, the company will have introduced a credible alternative to monolithic AI stacks, backed by a consumer product that people can use today.
