SignSplit raises $400 million from Volodymyr Nosov's W Group at $1bn valuation
The single-investor seed round values the American signed-data platform as a unicorn as it prepares infrastructure for training artificial intelligence ethically.
SignSplit has raised $400 million in a seed round funded entirely by fintech group W Group, valuing the American artificial intelligence data startup at $1 billion.
The investment turns the company into an instant unicorn as it launches out of stealth. Founded quietly in 2024, SignSplit is building infrastructure around what it terms "signed data" — personal records, creative output, voices and likenesses that carry verifiable consent and specific terms for how AI developers may use them.
W Group, led by Ukrainian entrepreneur and WhiteBIT cryptocurrency exchange founder Volodymyr Nosov, acted as the sole investor in the round. Alongside the capital, the agreement includes multi-year strategic support intended to help roll out the technology globally.
What SignSplit is building
SignSplit is attempting to solve one of the most contentious issues facing generative AI: the sourcing of training data. Most foundational models have relied on broad web scraping without explicit author consent, prompting lawsuits from creators, news outlets and copyright owners.
SignSplit's approach gives contributors a mechanism to digitally sign their assets before making them available. Individuals and institutions can license datasets directly to tech firms or pool them into collective "data pools" targeted at specific fields such as healthcare, scientific research, robotics and entertainment. Contributors earn compensation when AI models draw on their material.
"The AI economy requires human consent, accounting for every use case, and fair compensation for their contribution," Nosov said in a statement. He argued that transparent consent should become standard across machine learning in the same way transaction authorization underpinned digital banking.
Why AI developers need clean provenance
Beyond consumer protections, the platform is pitching AI laboratories and robotics developers on legal certainty and data quality.
"We saw that the next generation of AI would need more than additional data," said Glib Denisov, SignSplit's co-founder, executive chairman and chief product officer. "It would need higher-quality, real-world data with clear provenance, permission, and rights attached to it."
SignSplit also runs dedicated "research pools" designed for universities and life sciences organisations running clinical trials or specialised studies that depend on active human participation.
"As AI reaches further into the real world, human knowledge, creativity, skills and identity will become increasingly connected to how technology evolves," said Alessandro Monterosso, SignSplit's co-founder and chief executive.
For W Group, the deal marks an ambitious expansion beyond blockchain finance. Nosov, who acquired a stake in Dutch boutique carmaker Spyker earlier this year, said his ecosystem plans to establish SignSplit as foundational infrastructure for commercial AI development.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seed funding amount | $400 million | W Group and SignSplit announcement |
| Company valuation | $1 billion | W Group and SignSplit announcement |
| Founding year | 2024 | SignSplit |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| W Group | Fintech group that served as the sole investor providing $400m in seed financing. |
| SignSplit | The American startup building signed-data licensing infrastructure for AI models. |
| Volodymyr Nosov | Founder and president of W Group and founder of WhiteBIT crypto exchange. |
