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Seattle AI Startup Venice.ai Raises $65M Series A at $1 Billion Valuation to Expand Privacy-First Chatbot Services
Seattle startup Venice.ai raised $65 million in its first funding round, reaching a $1 billion valuation as it expands its privacy-focused AI services. The company, with 3.5 million users, offers an uncensored chatbot alternative emphasizing data privacy and user control, and has become profitable.
Erik Voorhees, Bitcoin Entrepreneur and Venice AI CEO, Raised $65M Series A in 2026
Erik Voorhees is a Bitcoin entrepreneur and CEO of Venice AI, a privacy-focused AI startup that raised $65 million in Series A funding in 2026. He founded early crypto ventures like ShapeShift and SatoshiDice, building significant wealth through these and advocating for decentralized finance and limited government regulation.
Venice.ai Raises $65M at $1B Valuation for Privacy-Focused AI Led by Erik Voorhees and Jesse Proudman
Venice.ai, founded by CEO Erik Voorhees and CTO Jesse Proudman, raised $65 million in Series A funding at a $1 billion valuation to provide a privacy-focused AI service that does not store user prompts or responses. The company aims to compete with mainstream AI services by offering unfiltered, on-device conversations through a range of open-source and commercial AI models.
