About
Masa is a decentralized AI data and LLM network. Raised $18M+ total from DCG, Anagram, Animoca, GoldenTree. $5.4M seed (Jan 2024) led by Anagram (Lily Liu). CoinList sale sold out in 17 minutes raising $8.75M (March 2024). 1.4M users, 48K node operators, 40M+ data points at mainnet. Strategic round from DCG (Dec 2024) for Agent Arena on Bittensor. Rebranded to Gopher (Sept 2025), transitioned to Cosmos SDK L1.
Key Facts
- [1]Funding: Total funding: $18M. Last round: Dec 2024. Stage: Early Stage.
- [2]Employees: Employee count: 11-50.
- [3]Company Type: Token company (token-based project).
- [4]Web3: Web3 and blockchain technology company. Token-based project.
- [5]Website: Official website: masa.finance.
- [6]AI Technology: Core AI/ML technologies: Infrastructure.
- [7]Region: Region: Americas (United States).
Founders
Brendan Playford
Co-founder & CEO
Calanthia Mei
Co-founder
AI Technology
Infrastructure
AI/ML infrastructure, compute networks, and tooling
Classification
Market Segments
Tech Stack Layers
Details
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Masa?
Masa is a decentralized AI data and LLM network. Raised $18M+ total from DCG, Anagram, Animoca, GoldenTree. $5.4M seed (Jan 2024) led by Anagram (Lily Liu). CoinList sale sold out in 17 minutes raising $8.75M (March 2024). 1.4M users, 48K node operators, 40M+ data points at mainnet. Strategic round from DCG (Dec 2024) for Agent Arena on Bittensor. Rebranded to Gopher (Sept 2025), transitioned to Cosmos SDK L1. Masa is classified in the Crypto & Web3 segment at the Infrastructure layer of the financial AI stack.
Who founded Masa?
Masa was founded by Brendan Playford (Co-founder & CEO) and Calanthia Mei (Co-founder).
How much funding has Masa raised?
Masa has raised $18M in total funding, placing the company at the Early Stage stage. The most recent round closed in Dec 2024. Among 38 funded Crypto & Web3 companies, Masa ranks #28 by total capital raised. (Source: AIFI Map directory.)
What AI technology does Masa use?
Masa primarily leverages Infrastructure technology. AI/ML infrastructure, compute networks, and tooling. Within the Crypto & Web3 segment, 28 companies use this technology.
What market segment does Masa operate in?
Masa operates in the Crypto & Web3 market segment. AI-powered crypto and Web3 companies operate at the intersection of artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and decentralized finance. This segment includes DeFi protocols enhanced by AI, crypto trading platforms, blockchain analytics tools, and the emerging category of on-chain AI agents.
Who are Masa's competitors?
Companies similar to Masa in the Crypto & Web3 space include Stripe ($9.8B raised), Natural ($10M raised), Catena Labs ($18M raised), Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) ($16M raised), VaderAI. These companies operate in related areas of financial AI: Stripe focuses on ai-powered payments platform with fraud detection. Natural focuses on payments infrastructure for ai agent transactions. Catena Labs focuses on building payment rails for ai agents. (Based on AIFI Map classification data.)
What products does Masa offer?
Masa builds infrastructure-layer solutions for the financial services industry. The company's core offering: Decentralized AI data network. The platform is powered by Infrastructure technology.
Is Masa publicly traded?
Masa operates as a token-based project rather than a traditional equity-backed company. It is a Web3-native platform leveraging blockchain and decentralized finance.
Does Masa use Web3 or blockchain technology?
Yes, Masa incorporates Web3 and blockchain technology. Decentralized AI data network. The project operates as a token-based platform. Masa is part of the Crypto & Web3 segment in the AIFI directory.