AI-Crypto Startup Raises $85 Million in Deal Led by Thiel’s Fund

Sentient Labs, a months-old artificial intelligence startup co-founded by an executive behind the Polygon blockchain, raised $85 million from investors including billionaire Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund.

Crypto venture capital funds Pantera Capital and Framework Ventures co-led the seed funding round alongside Founders Fund, according to a statement from Sentient Labs. The company didn’t disclose a valuation.

Singapore-based Sentient Labs is building an open-source platform through which developers can get paid for their contributions to emergent AI tools, such as chatbots and enterprise software. The fundraising comes ahead of the Sentient platform’s planned testnet launch, scheduled for the third quarter. ...