Binance's YZi Labs Invests in Crypto-AI Startup Vana

YZi Labs, the investment arm of Binance, has made a strategic move by investing in Vana, a crypto-AI startup focused on data ownership. The undisclosed amount was invested in January 2025, with Binance co-founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao joining Vana as an advisor. YZi Labs is the sole investor in this round, with no other investors involved.

Vana, founded in 2021 by Anna Kazlauskas and Arthur "Art" Abal, is a San Francisco-based startup that aims to accelerate AI while enabling broad user participation in new digital economies. The company's Layer 1 blockchain allows users to pool their data into "Data DAOs," earn rewards, and retain ownership in the AI models built from their contributions. With the fresh funding, Vana plans to expand its DataDAO ecosystem, launch data tokens for over 16 DataDAOs, attract more data contributors, and extend data financialization beyond crypto into various industries.

This investment marks YZi Labs' first AI-focused project since its rebranding from Binance Labs last month. The firm has previously backed several crypto-AI projects, including Sahara AI and MyShell. YZi Labs' spokesperson stated that the firm's focus has expanded beyond web3 to include AI and biotech, and it is open to investing in standalone AI and biotech projects. CZ, who has taken an active role in YZi Labs following its rebranding, is currently advising several YZi Labs portfolio companies and remains open to speaking with early-stage founders.