VeryAI has secured USD 10 million in seed funding to develop a palm-based identity verification platform built on the Solana blockchain.
According to the official press release, the round was led by Polychain Capital, with participation from the Berggruen Institute and Anagram. Additionally, Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, also participated as an angel investor.
The platform uses a smartphone camera to scan a user's palm, converting the scan into an encrypted biometric signature rather than storing the original image. Zero-knowledge proofs then allow the user to verify their identity across platforms without exposing personal data. The conversion process is designed to be irreversible, meaning the original scan cannot be reconstructed from the stored signature. Identity attestations are recorded on Solana, removing the need for a centralised data repository.
Targeting AI-generated identity fraud
Palm biometrics were selected on the basis that they are highly distinctive and less publicly visible than facial features, reducing the risk of data exposure. The system is designed to address a specific and growing challenge in the crypto industry, namely the proliferation of AI-generated accounts used in sybil attacks during token distribution, fake account farming of rewards, and impersonation scams.
Commenting on the news, Zach Meltzer, Founder and CEO of VeryAI, described the core objective as confirming that a real person is acting, rather than simply verifying that a human identity technically exists. VeryAI is already working with crypto exchange MEXC and platforms Colosseum, Clique, and Talus, with additional centralised exchanges and wallet providers preparing to integrate the system.
Furthermore, the launch reflects broader momentum in proof-of-human verification, driven by AI models becoming capable of generating convincing fake identities at scale. World, co-founded by Sam Altman, takes a comparable approach using iris scans to confirm human uniqueness on a blockchain network. Additionally, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has also supported verification systems that confirm certain attributes, including uniqueness or eligibility, without exposing a user's entire identity.
