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OpenGradient provides a decentralized AI infrastructure platform that merges blockchain with artificial intelligence to offer a secure, open-source repository of AI models. It hosts a model hub containing both open and closed source models and lets developers access and run these models directly through smart contracts using its NeuroML Solidity framework. The system enables on-chain inference by connecting model access to blockchain contracts, ensuring ownership, security, and transparent access controls. Unlike centralized AI marketplaces, OpenGradient distributes hosting and access across a decentralized network, focusing on security, open access, and scalable AI ownership. The company earns revenue by providing access to its AI model repository and related services, supported by its seed funding of $8.5 million, with the goal of building a trusted, decentralized AI infrastructure and model hub for developers and businesses.
Industries
Data & Analytics
Enterprise Software
Crypto & Web3
AI & Machine Learning
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
Seed
Total Funding
$8.5M
Headquarters
New York City, New York
Founded
2023
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Total Funding
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OpenGradient has launched OpenGradient Chat, a generative AI assistant built with verifiable privacy protections. Backed by a16z crypto, SV Angel and NVIDIA Inception Program, the platform allows users to access frontier models including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and ByteDance Seed without linking queries to their identity. The system employs three privacy layers: local encryption on users' devices, routing through an Oblivious HTTP relay that separates IP addresses from content, and processing inside a trusted execution environment with remote attestation. Users can verify these guarantees themselves rather than relying on privacy policies. The platform includes web search, image generation and file uploads, with 1,000 free credits for new users. Future updates will add dedicated image and video models with the same privacy architecture.
a16z backs OpenGradient in $9.5M verifiable AI round. Last Updated: 15 April 2026 Co-founder of JustAINews Key Points * OpenGradient raised $9.5 million led by a16z crypto to build decentralized infrastructure for verifiable AI model execution. * Backed by Coinbase Ventures, SV Angel, Balaji Srinivasan, Illia Polosukhin, Sandeep Nailwal, and others, OpenGradient targets the opacity problem in AI infrastructure. * The platform combines a verifiable inference network, an on-chain model hub, and developer tooling to let applications verify AI outputs cryptographically. Credits: JustAINews.com OpenGradient, a startup building infrastructure for auditable AI model execution, has raised $9.5 million led by a16z crypto. The company, co-founded and led by CEO Matthew Wang, positions itself as a decentralized network where AI models can be hosted, run, and cryptographically verified at scale. Coinbase Ventures, SV Angel, Foresight Ventures, Pragma, SALT, Symbolic Capital, Canonical Crypto, Black Dragon, NEAR, Celestia, and Thanefield Capital also participated. No valuation was disclosed. AI systems are no longer just answering questions. They are executing trades, managing assets, and issuing decisions with minimal human oversight. Reported AI-related incidents rose 21% from 2024 to 2025, according to the AI Incidents Database, and a recent BCG-MIT survey found that only 10% of companies currently allow AI agents to make decisions autonomously - a figure expected to climb to 35% within three years. What makes this acceleration risky is not the autonomy itself. It is the fact that most AI infrastructure gives developers no way to verify what a model actually did: which version ran, what data it received, or what it returned. JustAINews has a broader look at how this accountability gap is playing out across industries. Why AI infrastructure has an accountability problem Most AI applications today run through a small number of large cloud providers. The companies and developers building on top of those providers have no reliable way to audit what is actually running underneath. They cannot confirm which model version executed a request, what input it received, or whether the output reflects what the model genuinely produced. BCG has flagged this as a growing operational risk: autonomous AI systems can initiate actions with limited supervision, and when the infrastructure is opaque, tracing failures becomes difficult or impossible. The stakes are higher in regulated sectors. In finance, healthcare, legal services, and government, AI-driven recommendations that affect real decisions require documented oversight to guard against errors and regulatory violations. A model that cannot be inspected creates accountability problems that no governance policy can fully fix. That pressure is pushing demand toward infrastructure that makes AI execution verifiable by design. Investor interest is following. The AI and crypto sector, once associated primarily with speculation, has moved into what analysts are calling a phase of structural maturity. Projects offering verifiable compute and live utility are increasingly drawing institutional capital, and verifiable AI infrastructure is emerging as one of the more consequential categories within that shift. How OpenGradient plans to spend the funding OpenGradient will use the capital to scale its network ahead of a broader ecosystem launch. The company reports more than 2 million users, 2 million verifiable inferences processed, 500,000 cryptographic proofs generated, and over 2,000 models from more than 100 developers listed on its Model Hub. Six revenue streams are active across the platform. The money will go toward expanding compute capacity, building out the developer community around its SDKs and APIs, and bringing in more models and enterprise clients. Wang described the company's direction plainly: "The AI stack is consolidating around a handful of closed providers, and the applications being built on top have no way to audit what's running underneath. We're building the open alternative - infrastructure where models are inspectable, execution is provable, and developers own the intelligence their products depend on. This funding lets us scale that vision." Matthew Wang, Co-founder and CEO of OpenGradient What OpenGradient actually builds OpenGradient functions as a specialized AI coprocessor. Rather than operating as a standalone blockchain, it works alongside existing systems, letting applications, smart contracts, and autonomous agents hand off computationally intensive AI tasks to a dedicated network of GPU and Trusted Execution Environment nodes. A Trusted Execution Environment, or TEE, is a secure hardware enclave that processes code in a way that outside parties can verify without accessing the private data involved. The platform has three parts. The Verifiable Inference Network attaches a cryptographic proof to every AI inference, so any downstream system can confirm exactly what model ran and what it returned. The Decentralized Model Hub is an on-chain repository where creators can publish, monetize, and combine models without going through an intermediary. The third piece is developer tooling: SDKs and APIs that let engineers tap into verifiable inference without needing to understand the cryptographic systems underneath. The practical application is straightforward. A company running sybil detection or content generation on OpenGradient can share cryptographic proof of the results with its clients, letting them independently verify the output without seeing the underlying model or raw data. The investors backing OpenGradient The round was led by a16z crypto, the crypto-focused arm of Andreessen Horowitz. Coinbase Ventures and SV Angel co-invested, joined by Foresight Ventures, Pragma, SALT, Symbolic Capital, Canonical Crypto, Black Dragon, NEAR, Celestia, and Thanefield Capital. The angel list reflects deep roots in the crypto and decentralized infrastructure space. Balaji Srinivasan, former CTO of Coinbase, took part alongside Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol, and Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon. Bruno Faviero of Magna, Daniel Cheung and Ryan Watkins of Syncracy Capital, and Ekram Ahmed of Celestia also invested. Funding details. * Company name: OpenGradient * Date: April 2026 * Total funding amount: $9.5M * Lead investors: a16z crypto Get the industry's biggest AI news straight to your inbox.
OpenGradient ($OPG) airdrop guide: how to claim your verifiable AI rewards following the April 21 TGE. OpenGradient, the decentralized network for open intelligence and verifiable AI compute, officially launched its native $OPG token on April 21, 2026. Following a massive testnet phase that saw over 2 million inferences and 500k cryptographic proofs, the ecosystem is now transitioning into its mainnet Agentic Economy. Learn how to verify your eligibility, understand the $OPG utility, and explore how to trade the launch momentum on BingX. The OpenGradient (OPG) TGE (token generation event) represents a critical infrastructure milestone for the Base ecosystem, shifting AI from centralized black boxes into a provable, on-chain execution layer. By integrating zkML proofs and TEE attestations, OpenGradient allows developers to host and run AI models with cryptographic guarantees. With a successful $9.5 million funding round backed by a16z crypto and Coinbase Ventures, the project is now rewarding the community that powered its 1.85 million early transactions. Here's a comprehensive guide to the OpenGradient network, $OPG tokenomics, the claiming process for your airdrop, and how to trade $OPG on BingX spot and futures markets. What is OpenGradient (OPG) and how does it work? OpenGradient is a high-performance verifiable computing layer designed specifically for AI. It bridges the gap between machine learning and blockchain through three core pillars: - Verifiable Inference Network: Unlike traditional AI, OpenGradient attaches a zkML cryptographic proof and TEE attestation to every output, ensuring the model wasn't tampered with. - The Model Hub: A decentralized repository hosting over 4,250 AI models that can be queried natively on-chain. - x402 Agentic Payments: Utilizing the x402 protocol, the network supports pay-per-request micro-transactions, allowing AI agents to buy and sell compute power autonomously. - EVM Compatibility: Built on the Base network, it offers seamless integration for Ethereum developers to deploy Agentic dApps that utilize unified AI memory via MemSync. What is the $OPG token utility and OpenGradient tokenomics? The $OPG token is the economic engine of the network, designed to facilitate trustless AI compute and reward security providers. $OPG token utility. - Inference Payments: Users and agents pay in $OPG to run model inferences and generate cryptographic proofs. - Staking & Security: Node operators stake $OPG to secure the network's TEE-attested infrastructure and earn protocol rewards. - Governance: Holders vote on Model Hub listings, research grants, and protocol upgrades like the recent x402 Upto pricing scheme. - Developer Grants: $OPG is used to incentivize the contribution of open-source models to the decentralized hub. $OPG token allocation model. OPG token distribution | Source: OpenGradient portal The OpenGradient ($OPG) ecosystem is powered by a fixed total supply of 1,000,000,000 tokens, distributed to ensure long-term network security and community-driven growth. - Community and Ecosystem (40%): The largest share, with 4% dedicated to the Season 1 Airdrop (fully unlocked at TGE) and 36% reserved for future incentives, developer grants, and data providers. - Foundation and Development (15%): Allocated to support ongoing protocol research and infrastructure sustainability, featuring a 33% unlock at launch. - Core Contributors and Team (15%): Reserved for the founding team, subject to a 12-month cliff and a 24-36 month linear vesting schedule to ensure alignment. - Investors (10%): Dedicated to early backers and VCs, mirroring the team's vesting schedule to prevent immediate market sell pressure. - Staking and Network Rewards (10%): Set aside to incentivize node operators and validators providing verifiable compute and TEE security. - Liquidity and Listings (6%): Fully unlocked at the Token Generation Event (TGE) to ensure deep liquidity across centralized and decentralized exchanges. What is the OpenGradient airdrop? The OpenGradient Season 1 airdrop is a distribution of 40,000,000 OPG tokens or 4% of total supply to early adopters. This allocation rewards those who participated in testnet inferences, contributed to the Model Hub, or held specific Discord roles like Alpha OG. What is the eligibility criteria for the $OPG airdrop? Eligibility was determined by a snapshot taken prior to April 15, 2026. Key criteria included: 1. Testnet Activity: Running inferences, generating zkML proofs, and wallet interactions on the OpenGradient testnet. 2. Community Roles: Active engagement in Discord and social campaigns on Galxe and X. 3. Model Contributions: Developers who uploaded or optimized models within the Hub. 4. Partner Integrations: Early users of BitQuant, MemSync, or Digital Twin platforms. How to claim your $OPG token airdrop: step-by-step guide. OpenGradient (OPG) airdrop claim portal The claim window opened on April 21, 2026, and will remain open until April 28, 2026. 2. Connect Your Wallet: Ensure you connect the Base-compatible wallet like MetaMask or Base App used during registration. 3. Verify Eligibility: The dashboard will display your allocated OPG based on your Season 1 points and roles. 4. Execute the Claim: Confirm the transaction on the Base network. Ensure you have a small amount of ETH on Base to cover gas fees. 5. Observe the Deadline: Unclaimed tokens after April 28 may be returned to the ecosystem treasury for future seasons. How to trade OpenGradient (OPG) on BingX after claiming the airdrop. BingX has listed OPG/USDT on the spot market and launched OPGUSDT Perpetual Futures with up to 50x leverage, allowing users to utilize BingX AI-powered trend analysis to capitalize on the post-TGE volatility. Buy, sell, or HODL OPG on the Spot market. OPG/USDT trading pair on the spot market For users looking to acquire $OPG or realize gains from their airdrop, the BingX Spot market provides a high-liquidity environment with real-time execution. 1. Log In and Deposit: Sign in to your BingX account and navigate to Assets and Deposit. Select $OPG and ensure you choose the Base network to transfer your airdropped tokens from your wallet to the exchange. 2. Navigate to Spot Trading: Go to the Spot Trading page. Use the search bar on the left to find the OPG/USDT trading pair. 3. Analyze with BingX AI: Review the live price charts and leverage BingX AI-integrated technical indicators to identify support and resistance levels before entering your position. 4. Configure Your Order: - Market Order: Use this for instant execution at the current best price. - Limit Order: Set a specific price at which you wish to buy or sell $OPG. 5. Execute the Trade: Enter the amount of $OPG or USDT you wish to trade and click Buy OPG or Sell OPG. Once filled, your assets will appear in your Fund Account. How to long or short $OPG on the futures market. OPG/USDT perpetual contract on the futures market 1. Fund Your Account: Transfer USDT to your Futures Account or deposit $OPG directly from your Base wallet. 2. Locate the Pair: Search for OPGUSDT contract in the perpetual futures section. 3. Analyze Trends: Use BingX's technical indicators to monitor the Coinbase Roadmap momentum and RSI levels. 4. Execute Trade: Select your leverage and enter a Limit or Market Order to manage your position. 5 key considerations before claiming your $OPG airdrop. To ensure a secure and strategic distribution, it is critical to understand the time-sensitive nature of the OpenGradient claim portal and the network requirements for interacting with the Base-native $OPG asset. 1. Base Network Only: $OPG is natively issued on the Base chain. Ensure you are on the correct network to avoid loss of funds. 2. Registration Requirement: Only users who registered between April 15-20 are eligible for this specific claim window. 3. Phishing Alert: Only use the official OpenGradient airdrop claim portal. The team will never DM you or ask for your seed phrase to verify your drop. 4. TGE Liquidity: With 100% of the airdrop unlocked, expect significant price discovery as the circulating supply stabilizes at around 190 million OPG. 5. Agentic Utility: $OPG is more than a farm token; it is required gas for the growing suite of AI agents on Base. Conclusion: should you hold or Sell your OpenGradient token airdrop? As of April 2026, OpenGradient stands as a frontrunner in the AI x Crypto narrative. By solving the black box problem of AI, it has moved beyond speculation into a functional utility layer for agentic commerce. Whether you choose to sell into the 600%+ listing pump or hold for long-term utility in the Model Hub, the OPG token's trajectory is now tied to the adoption of verifiable compute. With the NVIDIA Inception backing and the x402 protocol upgrade, OpenGradient is positioning $OPG as the Oil for the future of on-chain intelligence. Risk Reminder: Digital asset investments carry high market risk. The price of $OPG may fluctuate significantly following its TGE. Always perform your own research and only trade capital you can afford to lose. BingX is not responsible for any trading losses.
OpenGradient has raised $9.5 million in total funding to build a decentralised compute layer for verifiable AI. The round was led by a16z crypto, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, SV Angel, and others, including angel investors such as former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan. The company operates as a specialised AI coprocessor network that enables applications and blockchains to outsource computationally heavy tasks to GPU and Trusted Execution Environment nodes. Its platform attaches cryptographic proofs to every AI inference, allowing users to verify exactly which model ran, on what input, and what it returned. OpenGradient has processed over 2 million verifiable inferences, generated 500,000 cryptographic proofs, and hosts 2,000 models from more than 100 developers on its decentralised Model Hub.
NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - OpenGradient, the a16z crypto-backed AI infrastructure company, today announced the launch of MemSync, a breakthrough platform that provides a persistent, secure memory layer for AI systems.
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Industries
Data & Analytics
Enterprise Software
Crypto & Web3
AI & Machine Learning
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
Seed
Total Funding
$8.5M
Headquarters
New York City, New York
Founded
2023
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today