Snorkel AI Triples Valuation to $3.5B as Demand for AI Training Data Booms

TechCrunch · United States · Sep 22, 2026

Snorkel AI has raised a $350 million Series E at a $3.5 billion valuation — nearly triple its prior $1.3 billion valuation from 17 months ago — led by Insight Partners and S32. The company, which pivoted to selling completed AI training datasets as a service, now reports $375 million in annualized revenue, an 18x increase over the past year. The funding reflects surging demand for high-quality AI training data from major AI labs, a trend also visible at competitors like Mercor ($2B gross ARR) and Micro1 ($500M). For staffing firms, the rise of human-in-the-loop data labeling and domain expert marketplaces signals growing placement opportunities in AI-adjacent workforce segments.