Poseidon, a decentralized AI data infrastructure project incubated by the on-chain IP protocol Story, today announced the completion of a $15 million seed round led by a16z crypto. The funding will be used to accelerate the construction of a full-stack data infrastructure layer for robots, multimodal models, and next-generation physical AI, aiming to crack the most critical yet overlooked bottleneck in AI development: high-quality, IP-secure, and traceable data acquisition.
"In an era where models and computing power are becoming commoditized, the real competitive barrier is data."
—Sandeep Chinchali, Chief AI Officer of Story and Chief Scientist of Poseidon
Poseidon's mission is to extend the programmable IP layer built by Story to real-world data and AI training scenarios. While Story aims to create a bottom-up protocol supporting creative and AI asset programmable ownership, licensing, and attribution, Poseidon further applies these capabilities to support data circulation and compliant use in AI.
AI Moves from Digital to Physical, Data Bottleneck Intensifies
Over the past two years, AI has made significant breakthroughs in text and image domains. However, as AI extends to physical world scenarios like robotics, autonomous driving, and smart devices, the demand for real-world data has suddenly surged.
However, existing data collection models face three structural challenges:
Scarce long-tail data: High-value data (such as POV videos, 3D simulations, edge sensors) have high collection costs and dispersed sources
Licensing and compliance risks: Traditional data chains are complex, with unclear copyrights, making it difficult for enterprises to use safely
Lack of incentive mechanisms: Data contributors lack attribution protection and revenue sharing, reducing willingness to participate
As Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said: "No amount of content on the internet can simulate the intuitive judgment of picking up a coffee cup." The next generation of AI models not only need to "understand the world" but also "understand and act in the world".
Poseidon: A Data Operating System for AI
To address these challenges, Poseidon provides a comprehensive operating system covering collection, annotation, licensing, circulation, tracing, and incentivization, transforming data from a "resource" to a true "asset" with legal effectiveness and economic incentive mechanisms.
S.Y. Lee, CEO and Co-founder of Story and President of Poseidon, stated, "Leveraging Story's programmable IP layer and immutable IP registration system, we ensure that each dataset is IP-licensed, traceable, and enforceable. With our integrated licensing module, teams can seamlessly authorize, monetize, and use data without worrying about legal risks. This is not just infrastructure construction, but empowering AI systems that can truly be deployed in the real world."
Poseidon is a data operating system for AI training processes, with IP tracking and programmable incentive capabilities inherent in every stage from collection to annotation, from licensing to circulation. Its core capabilities include:
Full-stack data pipeline: Supporting standardized collection and cleaning of multi-source data (POV videos, sensors, voice, synthetic simulations)
On-chain IP registration and tracing: All data registered as IP assets on Story Protocol, ensuring clear origin and legal authorization
Incentive and licensing module: Contributors, annotators, and synthetic models can receive revenue sharing through smart contracts, enabling sustainable growth of the data network
Composable data marketplace: Developers can filter, call, and integrate data by license, automatically triggering licensing and profit sharing, reducing copyright risks
Poseidon provides a truly compliant, composable, and sustainable data network for AI model training, becoming crucial infrastructure for AI's shift from model-driven to data-driven.
Building the Data Economic Foundation of the AI Era
"AI foundational models have exhausted the most easily obtainable training data. Poseidon's decentralized data layer is attempting to establish a new economic foundation for the internet, rewarding creators and data providers who offer diverse inputs for the next generation of intelligent systems. We are excited to support Poseidon in solving one of the most critical bottlenecks in AI development."
—Chris Dixon, Founder and Managing Partner of a16z crypto
Poseidon has already collaborated with multiple top AI companies and will use this funding round to expand its technology stack, including SDK toolkits, data contributor workstations, and licensing and profit-sharing management modules. Early access channels will open this summer, launching registration for AI developers and data contributors.
About Poseidon
Poseidon is a decentralized full-stack data layer tailored for AI training processes. Incubated by the Story Protocol team, it aims to connect high-quality data supply with AI model demand. The platform supports the entire process from data contribution, authorization licensing to verification and integration, ensuring data security, compliance, and economic incentive mechanisms.
Visit the official website for more information: www.poseidonai.io
