Irys, the world’s first programmable datachain, announced it has raised $10 million in Series A funding led by CoinFund, with participation from Hypersphere, Tykhe Ventures, Varrock Ventures, Breed VC, Echo Group, Amber Group, and WAGMI Ventures. The round brings Irys’s total funding to $20 million since 2024, demonstrating sustained investor confidence in programmable datachain infrastructure.
Irys is addressing a fundamental inefficiency in the global economy: the $3 trillion data market where virtually no one is able to capture value from the data they generate. By combining a high-performance data layer with a native smart contract execution layer, Irys enables data to carry embedded instructions for licensing, monetization, and access control – making it the first blockchain where data actively generates value for those who create it.
“The data economy has a massive infrastructure problem,” said Josh Benaron, CEO and Founder of Irys. “AI companies scrape trillions of dollars worth of content while creators see nothing. Enterprises sit on valuable datasets they can’t monetize. We’re building the infrastructure that finally allows data creators to capture the value they generate, turning data that historically is stored statically, into programmable economic assets.”
The round builds on significant traction with over 80 strategic partners focused on AI use cases, 600 million+ data transactions processed on the network, and 4 million+ active wallets engaging daily on the network. The platform’s infinite data capacity and predictable pricing model – anchored to physical storage costs rather than volatile token markets – has attracted institutional partners, including revenue-generating companies with proven business models. The funding will also accelerate infrastructure expansion, strategic partnerships, team growth, and institutional adoption of datachain technology ahead of Irys’s upcoming mainnet launch.
“Irys represents the infrastructure layer for the AI economy,” said Einar Braathen, Partner at CoinFund. “Where traditional approaches require piecing together multiple solutions, Irys has created unified infrastructure that makes data programmable. This is the AWS moment for onchain data.”
Irys’s approach is already generating significant institutional interest, with partners whose combined businesses represent hundreds of millions in revenue choosing the platform for critical infrastructure needs. This institutional adoption is driven by Irys’s technical advantages: unlike first-generation datachains that only provide static storage, Irys’s programmable data architecture enables smart contracts to read, modify, and act on stored data natively. This breakthrough allows for automated licensing agreements, verifiable AI training processes, and programmable intellectual property rights – capabilities impossible on existing blockchain infrastructure. Furthermore, Irys dramatically simplifies implementation — developers can get started in hours using familiar EVM-compatible tools, directly addressing the pain point found in legacy alternatives where integration can take months.
“This funding validates what our community has recognized: infrastructure that handles real revenue from real companies deserves serious institutional attention,” added Benaron. “We’re not waiting for adoption – we’re capturing it through partnerships that convert every enterprise data problem into permanent network volume that compounds over time.”
With over 500,000 community members across channels in over eight countries and partners that collectively generate hundreds of millions in revenue, choosing the platform for critical infrastructure needs, Irys is positioned to capture significant market share as the AI economy demands more sophisticated data infrastructure.
About Irys
Irys is the world’s first programmable datachain, combining verifiable data with native smart contract execution to create a foundation that’s optimized for storing, discovering, and monetizing data at any scale. With over 80 strategic partners, 600 million+ transactions processed, and 4 million+ daily active wallets, Irys aims to be the infrastructure that will one day contain all of humanity’s most critical information. Learn more at https://irys.xyz
About CoinFund
CoinFund is a blockchain investment firm focused on early-stage projects building foundational infrastructure for the decentralized economy. With a portfolio spanning DeFi, infrastructure, and Web3 applications, CoinFund partners with visionary teams creating the next generation of blockchain technology.
