Crypto intelligence just got smarter.
Surf has raised $15 million to expand its AI-driven platform for digital asset analysis, with the round led by Pantera Capital and participation from Coinbase Ventures and DCG. The platform powers domain-specific AI models used by exchanges and research firms to analyze on-chain activity, market behavior, and sentiment, helping traders and analysts make faster, data-driven decisions.
The funding will accelerate Surf 2.0, which promises advanced AI models, larger proprietary data sets, and multi-agent systems capable of tackling complex, multi-step analytical tasks.
Since its launch in July, Surf has already produced over 1 million research reports and claims millions in annual recurring revenue, highlighting rapid adoption across the crypto industry.
Surf’s platform has quickly become a go-to tool for exchanges and research companies, leveraging a multi-agent architecture that evaluates blockchain data, social sentiment, and token activity. Users access insights through a chat interface, cutting down on manual research workloads and providing actionable intelligence in real time.
The rise of Surf is part of a broader trend where AI and blockchain converge. In April, Nous Research closed a $50 million Series A to develop open-source AI models on decentralized infrastructure using Solana.
In May, Catena Labs, founded by Circle co-founder Sean Neville, raised $18 million to build a bank powered by AI agents supervised by humans.
Crypto platforms are experimenting with AI in practical ways. Coinbase launched Based Agent in October, allowing users to create AI agents with integrated crypto wallets that can trade, swap, and stake in minutes. These developments reflect the growing role of algorithmic intelligence in digital asset management.
The human-AI dynamic is being tested in real-world scenarios. Decentralized exchange Aster is running a human versus AI trading competition, funding 100 human traders with $10,000 each to compete against top-performing AI agents from December 9 to 23.
With 13 days remaining, Team Human leads with a 13.36% ROI versus Team AI’s 0.54%, offering early insights into where human judgment still outperforms algorithms in volatile crypto markets.
Surf’s funding and growth show that AI is becoming an indispensable tool for navigating the increasingly complex world of digital assets. Analysts, traders, and institutions now have the tools to turn raw blockchain data into actionable strategies faster than ever before.
