Sapien, an AI data collection startup, has raised $10.5 million in seed funding led by Variant, with backing from Primitive Ventures, Animoca, Yield Game Guild, and HF0. Co-led by Rowan Stone, former co-creator of Coinbase’s layer 2 network Base, and Trevor Koverko, founder of Polymath and the ERC1400 RWA standard, Sapien incentivizes its growing network of data labeling workers by offering payments in USDC or reward points.
The platform encourages users to label diverse data points, ranging from everyday objects like traffic signs to specialized data, such as identifying cancer cells in medical images. According to Stone, Sapien aims to support AI’s development by leveraging human input on a large scale. He said the company is designed to “help AI be smarter and get closer to human-level reasoning” through contributions from thousands of people worldwide.
Sapien’s platform has already recruited over 100,000 AI workers and provides data solutions for 17 major enterprise partners, including Alibaba and Baidu. Unlike other firms that rely on low-cost, centralized data labeling operations, Sapien integrates a gamified, decentralized approach that appeals to workers seeking flexible AI-related tasks. Stone shared that Sapien’s structure includes an on-chain economic model, where workers post collateral to engage with the platform, providing “a simple mechanism similar to ether’s proof-of-stake.”
The seed funding round also included notable angel investors such as YGG founder Gabby Dizon and former Softbank Vision Fund executive Kevin Jiang.
Featured image: Left to right; Trevor Koverko, Sunny Ray, Reed Ponak, Rowan Stone, and Tyler Koverko. Credit: Sapien
