Erik Voorhees
Erik Voorhees is currently a Private Investor and Founder at Venice.ai, and serves as Chief Executive Officer at Venice. He previously founded SatoshiDice and ShapeShift, and has held roles including Communications Manager at Better Homes, Head of Marketing at BitInstant, and Communications Lead & Project Manager at Podium Group.
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 Raises $65M Series A at $1B Valuation Following 12x Surge in VVV Token Within Six Months
Privacy AI platform Venice raised $65 million in Series A funding at a $1 billion valuation after its token VVV surged 12x in six months. The funding will build Venice's first data center to reduce GPU leasing reliance, marking the company's first external equity investment since founding.
Zoom to Acquire Seattle AI Startup Common Room, Known for $52M-Funded Buyer Intelligence Platform
Zoom is acquiring Common Room, a Seattle-based AI startup that developed a platform to help sales and marketing teams track customer buying signals. Common Room emerged from stealth in 2021 with $52 million in funding and was named the 2022 GeekWire Awards Startup of the Year.
Venice AI Raises $65M Series A Led by Dragonfly at $1B Valuation to Expand Privacy-First AI Platform
Venice AI raised $65 million in its Series A funding round led by Dragonfly, reaching a $1 billion valuation and achieving unicorn status. The company will use the funds to expand its privacy-first AI platform by acquiring GPUs and building its own data centers.
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.
Organizations
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Venice.ai Founder 2024–present · current
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Private Private Investor 2022–present · current
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Venice Chief Executive Officer · current
Education
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University of Puget Sound BA, Business Leadership and Political Economics · 2003–2007
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Vail Mountain School
