OpenGradient, a prominent decentralized AI infrastructure company based in New York, has recently secured $8.5 million in seed funding. The company’s core mission is to expedite the adoption of open-source AI by democratizing model ownership, simplifying AI deployment processes, and promoting universal access to AI technologies.
The innovative platform developed by OpenGradient offers scalable AI compute on-chain, ensuring transparency and attribution while bolstering the security of AI deployment and hosting. Their advanced technology stack comprises an EVM-compatible blockchain alongside a unique heterogeneous AI compute architecture (HACA) and a proprietary library of feature-rich tools aimed at supporting and expanding secure AI workflows on-chain.
Developers can harness the power of OpenGradient’s end-to-end decentralized platform to build and deploy optimized decentralized applications (dApps) effortlessly. By leveraging OpenGradient’s web portal and SDK, Web2 developers can seamlessly access its AI stack without the complexities associated with blockchain integration, while enjoying the security and composability benefits of a decentralized infrastructure.
Matthew Wang, the CEO and Co-Founder of OpenGradient, emphasized the challenges faced by developers in creating secure software for custom AI models. He highlighted the complexity involved in integrating various cryptographic or hardware solutions into their stack. Wang expressed how OpenGradient revolutionizes this process by offering rapid model deployment and secure inference capabilities for AI models in a matter of seconds.
The $8.5 million seed funding round saw the participation of renowned investors such as a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator (a16z CSX), SV Angel, Coinbase Ventures, SALT Fund, Symbolic Capital, Foresight Ventures, as well as notable angel investors including Balaji Srinivasan, Illia Polosukhin, Sandeep Nailwal, and others. OpenGradient is also currently engaged in the Fall 2024 a16z CSX program in New York City.
Principal at SV Angel, Mike Liu, commended OpenGradient for spearheading a new era in decentralized AI with its cutting-edge infrastructure designed to support the next wave of intelligent applications. He praised the company for developing a disruptive tech stack at the intersection of AI and blockchain, expressing excitement in supporting such a talented and innovative team.
The newly secured funding will be allocated towards further strengthening the decentralized infrastructure, rolling out solutions and tools for AI and Web3 developers, and advancing applied ML research to enhance the open-source AI ecosystem on the blockchain. OpenGradient’s testnet is slated to be accessible to developers in the fourth quarter of 2024.
OpenGradient, headquartered in New York City, is at the forefront of decentralized platforms that unlock scalable AI compute on-chain, empowering developers to construct secure, intelligent, and optimized decentralized applications. The company’s offerings include on-chain AI model hosting, permissionless composability, secure inference execution, and seamless access to accelerate open-source AI initiatives and cultivate next-generation applications. The team at OpenGradient comprises global talent with in-depth expertise in AI/ML, blockchain, crypto, and the Web3 ecosystem.
For more information about OpenGradient, visit their official website at https://opengradient.ai and follow them on X and LinkedIn for the latest updates and insights into their innovative work.