Take it quickly
- Vangrid has raised $9 million in a token round backed by HashKey, Crypto.com Capital, Animoca Brands and others, CEO Robert Brayton told The New York Times. roadblock.
- the Deepin The project plans to use the funding to grow its location Data A network for physical AI applications, including robots and autonomous agents.
Vangrid, A Decentralized physical infrastructure networkDePIN, which focuses on collecting spatial data, has raised $9 million in a seed funding round.
HashKey, Borderless, Crypto.com Capital, Animoca Brands, Gate Labs and Mapleblock Capital participated in the round as “key stakeholders,” Vangrid co-founder and CEO Robert Brayton told The Block.
“The round brings together financial investors and strategic partners who have contributed infrastructure, technology and exchange relationships rather than just capital,” Brighton said.
Brighton said Vangrid began fundraising in August 2025 and completed the round across multiple tranches in January 2026, noting that it waited to announce until the network was up and running.
The seed round was structured as a Simple Agreement for Future Tokens, or SAFT, Brighton said, declining to comment on Fangrid’s valuation. He also noted that no board seats were awarded as part of the tour.
Vangrid plans to use the funding to grow its spatial data network and form partnerships with companies building physical AI infrastructure and applications.
DePIN spatial data
Vangrid has built a network of users to provide geospatial data and get paid for it.
“Contributors capture real-world locations on their smartphones, we reconstruct them into 3D spatial models and verify everything on-chain,” Brayton said. “Buyers commission specific locations, and contributors get paid for delivering verified footage.”
This makes the network demand-driven from day one, which is the key lesson of “DePIN 1.0,” Brayton said, noting that bonus emissions without a real revenue source don’t last.
Vangrid’s target customers include physical AI designers, including those developing robots, autonomous agents and digital models.
Physical AI systems require ground-level, constantly updated spatial data, which Fangrid aims to deliver at scale, Brayton said.
The same data could be used by defense and government organizations operating in places where GPS is not available, or where conditions change quickly, he added.
Vangrid positions itself between traditional mapping companies, which use expensive, centrally owned vehicle fleets, and open crowdsourcing networks that may struggle to verify the quality and provenance of the data provided, according to Brighton.
As for privacy, Fangrid said that faces and license plates are anonymized before the data leaves the device. Each on-chain pickup is then verified to determine its provenance before being made available to customers, the project said.
Shareholder remuneration
Vangrid contributors are currently receiving rewards, Brayton said, noting that the token is planned and associated reward mechanisms will be announced closer to its launch later this year.
Vangrid built its network on Base and Uses Ethereum Brighton said the authentication service will verify batches of captured data.
“Our public explorer shows nearly 100,000 verified images, 200,000 network events and more than 1,300 batch certificates,” he added.
Brayton noted that Vangrid’s web app and Android app are live, with the iOS app scheduled to launch next. He said Vangrid has also signed a memorandum of understanding with strategic data partners and is in discussions with organizations that build defense and robotics platforms.
Brighton declined to identify the companies involved, but said the agreements cover AI infrastructure and enterprise services, with additional partnerships under discussion.
Vangrid is based in Amsterdam and has a core team of 14 people, Brighton said, noting that the team plans to hire engineering and data operations over the coming quarters.
Brighton joined Vangrid as co-founder and CEO in May this year after Khalid Bin Rafiq founded the venture in July 2025, Brighton said.
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