Story Protocol rebrands as DATA Foundation to focus on AI data

June 25, 2026

Palo Alto-based blockchain startup Story Protocol has rebranded as DATA Foundation and pivoted its operations to building infrastructure for verifying AI training data. The move follows $140 million in funding led by a16z crypto.

The company, now operating the DATA Network, aims to provide cryptographic records of data provenance, licensing and consent for artificial intelligence developers. It has integrated with Kled AI’s marketplace, registering over a billion user-contributed records.

Avi Patel, founder of Kled AI, has joined as advisor and chief data officer. Andrea Muttoni has taken over as CEO of the DATA Foundation.

The firm is launching the Trace platform to issue unalterable receipts for datasets. Patel said the system records content hashes, consent terms and payment proof without exposing the data itself.

Development also includes fraud-detection tools to confirm data is human-generated and legally compliant. The shift addresses growing legal scrutiny faced by AI companies over training data sources.

人们在说什么

Initial reactions on X show excitement over the strategic pivot to AI data infrastructure with many highlighting the 1B+ data records and Trace audit tool as positive developments. Some users note the token migration from $IP to $DATA and potential for broader AI adoption. Skeptical voices question the pivot as a 'grift' shift amid prior IP focus and token price drops. Neutral posts share factual details on the rebrand and $140M funding without strong opinions.

Today, Story becomes The DATA Foundation.$IP is now $DATA. The Story Network is now DATA Network, tracking 1B+ data records with a singular mission: to become the trust layer for all AI training data.

Welcome to The DATA Foundation. pic.twitter.com/u54K9kD1n5

— The DATA Foundation (@datafdn) 2026年6月25日

Crazy what can happen in just one year.

Story Protocol is now The Data Foundation.$IP → $DATA.

They started with a bold vision: make intellectual property programmable-enabling onchain registration, licensing, remixing, and monetization.

They delivered one of the best… https://t.co/9zQlum9rzK pic.twitter.com/fYTHAy3wYZ

— pranayy (@pronoy) 2026年6月25日

story protocol pivots the grift from ip to ai. camp network to follow shortly.

— gmoney.eth (@gmoneyNFT) 2026年6月26日

the fact that they're positioning as the trust layer for ALL AI training data is huge

every AI model needs verified data sources and story network already has the infrastructure for it

rebranding to DATA Foundation signals they're going all in on this vision not just rebranding https://t.co/8Oo1ipLrMn

— indrarg (@indrarg77) 2026年6月25日

Story has officially rebranded to The DATA Foundation.

The Story Network is now the DATA Network, already tracking over 1B+ human data records.

Their new mission: become the transparent trust layer for AI training data with verifiable provenance, quality, and fair licensing… https://t.co/hGGcg2nJjm

— Coha05 (@Coha05_) 2026年6月25日

来源

• https://decrypt.co/372107/story-protocol-rebrands-data-network-ai-training-pivot
• https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/06/25/a16z-backed-crypto-firm-rebrands-shifts-focus-to-solving-ai-s-global-copyright-headache
• https://cointelegraph.com/news/story-protocol-pivots-to-ai-with-rebrand-to-data-foundation