AI & Web3 in 2025

Key Trends and Projects to Watch

Hey there,

This is a free edition of Venturebloxx’s newsletter, your regular dose of Web3 and AI insights for business leaders, strategists, innovation officers, investors, decision-makers, and builders looking to future-proof their organizations and unlock real-world value through emerging tech.

The convergence of blockchain and AI is accelerating. In 2025 dozens of startups, DAOs and established firms are fusing decentralized networks with machine intelligence. This newsletter surveys the leading players by segment, their funding and integrations, and major trends shaping the AI‐Web3 space.

Trends & Outlook

• Decentralized AI Agents Boom:

  • By late 2024 there were ~10,000 on-chain AI agents (autonomous smart-contract bots), collectively earning millions weekly. Analysts predict ~1 million AI agents by end-2025.

  • Agent-centric tokens (aiX tokens) have seen explosive growth: in 2024 agent projects jumped to ~$10 billion market cap.

  • Early use cases include on-chain staking bots and DeFi management agents (e.g. one such agent claims >60% APY managing a liquidity pool).

  • “AgentFi” (AI+DeFi) expected to be a major theme

• Blockchain for AI Governance & Provenance:

  • Interest is growing in using chains to audit AI. Projects like NEAR (Deep*AI) are designing decentralized AI governance (on-chain training records, AI voting).

  • Web3 reputational tools aim to certify model origin and data lineage. New protocols may offer tokenized governance of shared models.

  • Meanwhile regulators (e.g. EU AI Act, FTC guidance) are pushing for AI transparency, which could favor on-chain audit trails and compliance mechanisms.

• Funding & Institutional Entry:

  • Investment in AI+blockchain has surged. Analysts reported ~$1.8B invested globally in Web3-AI startups in 2024–25. Q1 2025 alone saw ~$4.8B into blockchain/crypto startups (a 2022-era high).

  • Major VCs and hedge funds (Pantera, Galaxy, Multicoin, etc.) are backing AI/blockchain hybrids.

  • Even public tech companies are pivoting: e.g. Oblong (Nasdaq:OBLG) raised $7.5M to acquire Bittensor tokens.

  • However, many projects are still in R&D – the sector awaits breakout consumer/enterprise products.

• Market Sentiment & Regulation:

  • The hype remains high, but skepticism is rising.

  • Some experts caution that many “Web3-AI” projects are chasing trendy narratives (AI meme coins, zk-AI) without clear product-market fit. Token prices have been volatile.

  • On the other hand, institutional players recognize the potential; Bitwise’s Matt Hougan emphasizes positioning for “decentralized AI” opportunities even amid uncertainty.

  • Regulatory outlook is mixed: AI is attracting new laws (e.g. data laws, AI ethics), while crypto regulation (SEC, MiCA) will shape capital flows. Projects claiming “compliant” AI offerings (leveraging blockchain auditability) may gain an edge.

  • Overall, by mid-2025 the AI/Web3 ecosystem is rapidly maturing, with practical infrastructure growing alongside continued hype.

Infrastructure (Compute & Cloud)

• Golem Network: Pioneering decentralized compute network (launched via a 2016 crowd sale). In its 2016 ICO Golem raised 820,000 ETH. Stage: mature protocol. Use: users rent GPU/CPU compute for rendering or AI model training. Token: GLM (formerly GNT). Notable collaborations: joined projects like iExec for pooled compute.

• CUDOS Intercloud: A decentralized cloud/GPU network born from the SingularityNET/CUDOS ecosystem. In 2024 CUDOS merged into the AI “Superintelligence Alliance” (ASI) and now powers a multi-PFLOP compute fabric. Funding: token sale; led by SingularityNET team.
  As of 2025 it operates 20+ PFLOPs of GPU, providing permissionless AI infrastructure. Partners: core part of ASI, interoperating with Fetch.ai and Ocean Protocol for AI workloads.

• Akash Network: A decentralized cloud marketplace offering low-cost compute from underused data centers. It’s raised $18M in VC funding and $68M in CHIPS Act grants and credits.

• Spheron Network: A decentralized GPU network, provides decentralized GPU access for AI and Web3 developers using idle hardware. Raised around $7M from investors including Protocol Labs and ConsenSys.

• Render Network: .a decentralized GPU marketplace for 3D creators to outsource rendering and earn RNDR tokens. The network has raised about $30M to date.

• Aethir: A decentralzied compute, turns idle GPUs into a decentralized cloud for AI, gaming, and enterprise compute. It raised $9–10M and generates $90M+ in annual on-chain revenue.

• Spice AI: Web3 data and AI infrastructure platform enabling developers to build AI-driven apps on blockchain data. Stage: well-capitalized startup. Funding: Seed $13.5M (Sept 2022, led by Madrona, Blackbird, Basis Set, etc.) (total $14.5M). Integrations: expanding support for Polygon/Solana, collaboration with investors like Protocol Labs.

• Mira: A decentralized AI infrastructure, $9M round led by Bitkraft VC and Framework Ventures.

Decentralized Data & Storage

• Ocean Protocol (Established): Decentralized data marketplace unlocking AI-ready data.
  Stage: established project/DAO (ICO $27M in 2017). It enables data providers/consumers to share and monetize datasets.
  Recent moves: OceanDAO (its funding arm) co-invested $735K in AI/DeFi platform Yiedl.ai and partnered with Zero1 Labs on decentralized AI development.
  Use cases include time-series data for DeFi predictions (Ocean Predictoor) and secure data for AI models.

• SingularityNET (Established): Decentralized AI marketplace and research platform (founders include Ben Goertzel).
  Stage: established (token AGIX launched 2017). It offers an on-chain registry of AI services (robotics, vision, NLP, etc.). In 2024 SingularityNET merged with Fetch.ai and Ocean into the “ASI Alliance”, unifying their tokens into $ASI.
  Funding: ICO ~$36M (2017); now governed by a DAO. Integrations: partnerships in robotics (e.g. Hanson Robotics), ASI ecosystem.

• Bittensor: Decentralized intelligence network (TAO token) for open-source AI. No VC funding; token emission only. It acts as a blockchain-based neural net where participants supply data and models.
  Bittensor’s TAO is a leading Web3-AI token (included in Grayscale’s fund).
  Partnerships: Enterprise interest – e.g. Oblong Inc. (NASDAQ:OBLG) is investing in TAO ($7.5M in 2025) and building developer tools for the Bittensor network.

AI Agent Platforms & Marketplaces

• SaharaLabs: A platform where everyone can create and monetize AI models, datasets, and applications in a collaborative space, built on the Sahara Blockchain.. Raised $43M from Polychain Capital and Yzi Labs.

• Fetch.ai: Blockchain platform for autonomous AI agents and decentralized learning.
  Stage: scaleup (founded 2017).
  Funding: notable rounds include $40M (Mar 2023, led by DWF Labs). It provides an agent framework (FET token) for automated tasks (e.g. data-sharing bots). In 2024 Fetch.ai rebranded its token to $ASI as part of the ASI Alliance. Founders come from Google/DeepMind; previous developer grants ($150M fund in 2022) encouraged ecosystem growth.

• ElizaOS: operating system for AI agents.

• Spectral Labs: A Machine Intelligence Network to generate autonomous onchain agents: creating and deploying autonomous on-chain AI agents for Web3 applications.

• Axal: Verifiable AI-agent development network (“agent-as-a-service”). Funding: $2.5M pre-seed (Oct 2024, led by CMT Digital, with a16z CSX, etc.).
  Product: “Axal Autopilot” – an AI agent for on-chain trading strategies (price tracking, execution, yield management). Focus: tools and APIs for building agents that interact with Web3 protocols.

• Metatrust: AI-powered blockchain security platform. Funding: $10M seed (2023, led by M23 Fund). It builds AI agents for code auditing, vulnerability scanning and SDLC security on blockchain projects. Integrations: M23, Redpoint and crypto investors onboard; partners with Optimism/OP Stack for agent tooling (see AgentLayer below).

• OpenGradient: Decentralized AI model platform (“GitHub/Hugging Face of Web3”). Funding: $8.5M seed (Oct 2024, led by a16z CSX, Coinbase Ventures, etc.). It’s building an EVM-compatible blockchain where developers can deploy and monetize AI models via smart contracts. Participated in a16z Crypto Startup School.

• Pond: Decentralized AI model production network. Funding: $7.5M seed (Nov 2024, by Archetype, Delphi, Coinbase Ventures). It allows anyone to build AI models (especially on on-chain data) and tokenize them – described as “Kaggle on blockchain”. Notably, Pond uses graph neural networks for crypto data analytics (on-chain behavior modeling).

DeFi & AI Analytics

• Ocean Predictoor: AI crypto price prediction platform (Ocean Protocol spin-off). Received a Web3 Grand Challenge Award in 2023. Collaborates with Yiedl on data-sharing.

• Sentient: Open-source AI development platform built on blockchain incentives. Funding: $85M seed (Jul 2024, led by Founders Fund, Pantera, Framework Ventures). It plans a blockchain and token model to reward open-source AI model creation (aims to let devs monetize models/data on-chain). Founders include Sandeep Nailwal (Polygon cofounder) and academics.

• SingularityDAO: a DeFi/yield DAO spun off from SingularityNET for AI fund management;

• Gaib AI: is building a tokenized GPU marketplace and financial infrastructure that transforms enterprise-grade GPUs into yield-bearing, tradable assets, enabling individual investors and institutions to gain direct exposure to AI compute without managing physical hardware. Raised $5M from Hack VC, Faction VC, Hashed.

• Netmind AI: AI automation and analytics suite designed to optimize enterprise performance, the next layer of intelligent infrastructure. Secured $5.62M.

Gaming, Metaverse & Creator Economy

• Balance.fun: AI virtual human companion platform (originally E-PAL gaming community). Funding: >$10M raised via “node” sales (Nov 2024) with institutional backers (Animoca Brands, Amber Group, GSR). It lets users mint AI avatars (“virtual friends”) that can play games, learn and evolve. Plans to launch a token in 2025.

• Alethea AI: Creator of “intelligent NFTs” (AI-powered avatars). EMOTE-1 is a breakthrough multimodal AI engine that delivers real-time facial expressions, multilingual voices, full-body gestures, and consistent personality. Funding: $16M private token sale (2021). It issues ALI token and partners with NFT/gaming projects to embed AI avatars. Notable partnership: collaborated with OTOY & Stability AI on decentralized compute.

• Decentraland / Sandbox (Established): Virtual world platforms experimenting with on-chain AI NPCs and user-generated AI content (via SDKs like Alethea). For example, users can program AI characters or integrate AI art tools in-world.

• Creator Platforms: AI content generators (e.g. copywriting tools with token tipping) and decentralized social tokens gain traction. (Example: Humans.ai above; Copy.ai announced exploring Web3 monetization.)

AI/Web3 Funds

• Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund (Established): Closed-end crypto fund launched July 2024. AUM ~$516M by mid-2025. It gives accredited investors exposure to a basket of blockchain AI tokens (as of July 2024: Bittensor (TAO), Filecoin (FIL), Livepeer (LPT), Near (NEAR), Render (RNDR)).
  Thesis: invest in protocols enabling decentralized AI infrastructure/services. More

• OpenCircle (OpenLedger) (Startup): New AI-focused launchpad by blockchain firm OpenLedger (June 2025). Commitment: $25M to fund “decentralized AI” projects. Strategy: contributors (developers, data providers, compute nodes) share protocol value. It follows OpenLedger’s $8M seed in 2024 and a partnership with Ether.fi (restaking protocol) for model security. OpenCircle aims to accelerate open-source AI development on chain.
  More

• Other emerging vehicles: Tokenized index funds (see Grayscale above) and AI x crypto venture arms (a16z, Pantera, Animoca’s Metaverse+AI funds) are active. Institutional blockchain funds may add AI themes in 2025.

Startups to Watch

• OpenLedger: The Sovereign Data Blockchain for AI. $8M seed round led by Polychain Capital and Borderless Capital.

• Kite AI: First Proof of AI Blockchain. Designed to facilitate AI development and collaboration in the decentralized economy.

• TrendX: is a next-generation on-chain asset trading platform that leverages AI and DePIN technologies to provide premium, one-click trading and investment solutions across multiple blockchain ecosystems. Secured strategic investment from Animoca Brands and Cream Labs, also received backing from 14 leading institutions, a total of $11.2M in funding.

• Nous Research: a decentralized AI startup using the Solana blockchain as a key component in the process it uses to train its open-source models. Secured $50M from Paradigm.

• Pluralis Research is a decentralized AI protocol designed to facilitate collaborative training, ownership, and deployment of foundation model. $7.6M seed round led by Union Square Ventures and CoinFund.

• Voltix AI: is a decentralized network that harnesses idle CPU resources to power AI and DePIN solutions. $10M raised from BLCKLabs.

• Olas: enables everyone to own a share of AI, specifically, autonomous agent economies. Rasied $13.8M from 1k(x).

• Hyperbolic: is an AI cloud platform that unites global compute resources to provide accessible, affordable, and scalable GPU resources and AI services. Raised $12M from Variant and Polychain Capital.

• Numerai: AI-driven, crowd-sourced hedge fund combining blockchain and ML. Founded 2015). It distributes encrypted stock-market data to a global data scientist network that build models. Its NMR token incentivizes accurate predictions – ~5,500 users stake tokens weekly in Numerai tournaments. Historically it raised ~$1.5M (2016). Integrations: DeFi staking of NMR, and partnerships (e.g. TokenSets listing).

• Humans.ai: AI content/identity platform. No major VC rounds reported (token HEART launched 2021). It offers AI tools for creating digital personas and media; users can mint AI-generated avatars and content as NFTs. Token metrics (HEART) ~7.8B supply, ~$86M market cap.
  Focus: enabling creators to own their digital likeness and content, bridging AI with the NFT economy.

• Yiedl.ai: AI-driven DeFi prediction marketplace. $735K raised in Jan 2025 (OceanDAO and Ocean co-founders invested). It provides crypto market insights using machine learning, planning AI trading bots and insights tools. Integrations: uses Ocean’s decentralized data platform for crypto datasets and is collaborating with Ocean Predictoor on AI models.

• Rumi Labs: Transforming passive media consumption into interactive, AI-powered experiences with rewards. Recently raised $4,7M, the round is co-led by A16z crypto CSX and EV3.

• VitalVeda: Web3 &AI Fitness platform, which combines AI-powered analytics with blockchain technology to create personalized fitness experiences. Raised $20M from Rollman Management Digital in early 2025.

  

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Marta

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Sources: Industry reports and news (CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, BusinessWire, blogs) and company announcements from 2024–mid-2025. All data current as of mid-2025.