As the need for data privacy and ownership becomes need of the hour, innovative start-ups like Vana are working towards the realisation of this goal. Founded in 2021, Vana is working towards the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Crypto with its focus on decentralized data ownership.
Today, it announced that it has received a strategic investment from YZi Labs, formerly known as Binance Labs.
Apart from receiving the strategic investment, Vana also announced that Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao has joined it in an advisory role.
This comes after Vana had previously raised $25 million from leading funds such as Paradigm, Coinbase Ventures, and Polychain Capital. Now with the new funding, Vana aims to use the investment for further development and expansion of its DataDAO ecosystem.
A Major Boost for Decentralized Data and AI
Founded with a mission to democratize data ownership, Vana operates a decentralized data marketplace where users can contribute, manage, and monetize their personal data without intermediaries. It aims to provide data creators a stake in the growing AI economy who usually face exploitation with their data being utilised without consent and incentives.
Unlike traditional data platforms that exploit user data for corporate profits, Vana enables individuals to share their data transparently and be compensated fairly.
The platform’s core innovation lies in its Data Liquidity Pools (DLPs), which allow AI models to access high-quality, user-owned datasets while ensuring privacy and equitable distribution of rewards.
Vana, by merging blockchain technology with AI, is enabling users to take ownership of their personal data while contributing to AI models in a secure and decentralized manner.
Contributions are then converted into on-chain assets (tokens), allowing users to trade or monetize their data. Operating within the DataDAO ecosystem, Vana using its native token $VANA facilitates transactions and interactions within the platform. It also rewards its users with $VANA for contributing data and participating in governance.
The latest investment from YZi Labs will help Vana in accelerating its development, expanding its ecosystem, and attract more contributors to its DataDAO model. It further aims to launch Data Tokens for over 16 DataDAOs and attract more data contributors while supporting multiple new DataDAOs.
YZi Labs’ Growing Focus on Web3 and AI
YZi Labs’ decision to back Vana, as it revealed in a X post, comes as part of its broader strategy to support innovative projects in Web3, AI, and biotechnology. The investment size remains undisclosed, but sources close to the matter suggest it is part of a larger effort by YZi Labs to drive the next wave of on-chain AI applications.
Further, the appointment of CZ as an advisor to Vana will add further credibility to the project. The Binance founder, who stepped down as CEO in late 2024, has been actively mentoring and investing in emerging blockchain projects. His deep expertise in building global-scale crypto platforms and navigating regulatory landscapes is expected to provide Vana with critical strategic insights.
YZi Labs has been making waves since its rebranding from Binance Labs in early 2025. The firm, managing over $10 billion in assets, has been expanding beyond its crypto roots, with a renewed focus on Web3-AI convergence.
“Vana’s approach to data ownership aligns with the Web3 ethos of decentralization and fairness. AI is only as good as the data it learns from, and we believe Vana is pioneering a user-centric model that could redefine AI training,” said Ella Zhang, CEO of YZi Labs.
VANA Price Soars 35% in Market Reaction
As soon as the news of investment was out, the token price of $VANA surged by 34% in the early hours of the Asian session of Tuesday.
While briefly surpassing the $8.90 mark, it is currently trading at $8.38 – highlighting the positive appreciation from the investors and traders.
Thus, as the intersection of AI and blockchain continues to gain momentum, Vana’s latest funding round signals that the industry is moving towards a more decentralized, user-driven data economy. The collaboration with YZi Labs and CZ’s involvement could position Vana as a key player in shaping the future of AI-powered Web3 applications.
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