The data‑platform startup SignSplit announced a $400 million funding round aimed at building a marketplace where users can sell access to their personal data for AI training while retaining ownership rights.
SignSplit, the data‑platform startup founded by former AI ethics researchers, has closed a $400 million financing round to launch a marketplace where individuals can monetize their personal data used in AI training.
Funding round and investors
The round was led by a consortium of venture firms, including Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from several strategic corporate investors interested in ethical AI data sourcing.
How the marketplace works
SignSplit’s platform lets users upload data such as text, images, and sensor logs, which are then tokenized and listed for AI developers. Users retain ownership rights and can set licensing terms, while developers pay per‑use fees that flow back to the data contributors.
The platform employs blockchain‑based smart contracts to enforce royalty payments and ensure transparent audit trails, addressing longstanding concerns about data exploitation in AI.
Potential impact on AI development
By creating a compensated data supply chain, SignSplit aims to diversify the datasets that train large language models and computer‑vision systems, potentially reducing bias and improving model robustness.
- Empowers individuals to earn from their data
- Provides AI firms with legally compliant, high‑quality datasets
- Encourages more diverse and representative training data
Industry analysts note that a paid‑for data model could shift the economics of AI research, making it less reliant on scraped or freely available data that often lacks proper consent.
SignSplit plans to roll out its beta platform to early adopters later this year, with a public launch slated for early 2027.