Story Protocol Rebrands as DATA Foundation to Build AI Training Data Verification Infrastructure
Story Protocol, a Palo Alto-based blockchain startup that raised $140 million in venture funding led by a16z crypto, has rebranded as the DATA Foundation. The organization pivots from general intellectual property management to providing onchain infrastructure for verifying the provenance, licensing, and consent history of AI training datasets. The new DATA Network and its Trace platform issue cryptographic receipts that document data origins, consent terms, payment history, and timestamps without exposing the underlying data. The foundation integrates with Kled AI’s human data marketplace, registering 1.5 billion user-contributed records, and develops fraud-detection tools to ensure data is human, original, and legally compliant. The shift addresses mounting copyright lawsuits against AI developers and the need for transparent data sourcing. CEO Andrea Muttoni leads the foundation, with Kled founder Avi Patel serving as chief data officer.
Key facts
- Story Protocol rebrands as DATA Foundation, pivoting to AI training data verification.
- Raises $140M led by a16z crypto; valuation reported as $2.4B.
- Launches DATA Network and Trace for onchain data provenance receipts.
- Integrates with Kled AI, registering 1.5 billion user-contributed records.
- Develops fraud-detection protocol to verify data is human and original.