AS artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, more and more control over valuable data is ending up with a few big tech companies. Filipino innovators Art Abal and Anna Kazlauskas launched VANA, a blockchain-based platform that decentralizes data ownership to counter this.
VANA is committed to giving individuals complete control over their data, enabling them to manage and earn from it. VANA’s vision has caught the attention of investors, securing $25 million in funding from top blockchain and crypto-focused venture capital firms like Paradigm, Polychain, and Coinbase Ventures.
Armed with degrees from Harvard and MIT, Art and Anna founded VANA, a startup that leverages blockchain technology to ensure everyone’s digital footprint is valued and protected. They’re tackling the challenges of data centralization head-on and aiming to set a new standard for data ownership in the AI age.
Shaping data’s future through law
Born in Iligan to Cebuano parents, Art Abal’s journey spans from global law firms to Colombian coffee farms, where he witnessed the transformative power of technology and human connection. As VANA’s chief operating officer, Art focuses on redefining the relationship between technology, society and data in the AI era.
Art’s career began as a corporate lawyer, where he gained insights into the complex interplay of law, data and society. His tenure at Appen emphasized impact sourcing and finding human-centric solutions to AI challenges. His interest in AI’s potential to reshape social structures at Harvard’s Belfer Center deepened.
A pivotal moment came when Art advised Timor-Leste’s prime minister on legal and policy matters. Later, with Nespresso in Colombia, he helped reimagine how data could measure the impact of supply chain practices on local communities. These experiences brought him face-to-face with the real-world implications of data governance, data rights and technology’s societal impact.
A champion for AI and decentralization
Anna Kazlauskas, whose mother hails from Pampanga, has always had a unique perspective on data. With Computer Science and Economics degrees from MIT, Anna created a program that translated US inflation data into music. Her innate curiosity and drive for innovation have led her to explore how technology can benefit people, not just corporations.
Her experience is diverse. At Celo, she worked on blockchain solutions for financial inclusion, prioritizing people-first technology. At the World Bank, she automated a time-consuming document-sorting process for interns, leading to her first company, Iambiq, which brought her to YCombinator.
Anna’s journey includes crypto mining with Ethereum and working with central banks on the intersection of technology and financial policy. Her background in financial technology complements Art’s legal expertise. Together, they use their combined experience to create a more inclusive digital space, culminating in VANA’s creation.
Their partnership began at the MIT Media Lab, where they met in a class focused on building technology for emerging markets. After completing their studies, they launched VANA, a platform to revolutionize data ownership.
Using decentralized principles, VANA empowers users to reclaim and move data across platforms and applications. “VANA,” derived from “Nirvana,” symbolizes their vision of a digital playground for AI, fostering relationships and economic activity free from Big Tech’s control.
Democratizing data ownership
Using blockchain, VANA enhances AI while preserving user privacy and data rights. The company launched a data decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) for the social media platform Reddit. The Reddit Data DAO or r/datadao attracted over 140,000 participants in a week, highlighting growing user frustration with platforms exploiting data without permission.
According to Gem Insights, in its X account, VANA launched its testnet and has seen significant traction, not only with r/datadao but with Twitter Data DAO and LinkedIn Data DAO.
As the next wave of AI development unfolds, VANA is poised to ensure individuals, not corporations, control their digital identities. As Degen Maverick, a crypto trader, posted on X, “Imagine a world where Reddit can’t sell your posts without your permission and where Google can’t hoard the value of your searches, where you decide how your digital footprint is used. That’s the world VANA is building.”
For Art and Anna, building VANA is more than creating a tech company — it’s about driving a movement that empowers Filipinos to engage actively in the emerging data economy.
Mass adoption will require VANA to simplify its technology and ensure its economic model benefits everyday users, not just those deeply embedded in the tech community. As AI and data continue to shape the future, VANA’s mission to put data ownership back in the hands of users may well define the next chapter of digital innovation.
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