Vana AI Data Summit Recap: Pioneering the Future of User-Owned AI at EthDenver
On Friday, February 28, Vana hosted the inaugural AI Data Summit in Denver's vibrant RiNo district, bringing together bright minds in decentralized AI, data, and DeFi as part of EthDenver. The summit created a collaborative space for builders, founders, and innovators to exchange ideas and explore emerging opportunities at the intersection of these rapidly evolving fields.
The Summit began with a hands-on Builder Workshop led by Vana Creator Anna Kazlauskas, providing attendees with practical insights into building on the Vana network and highlighted Vana's commitment to empowering developers and users in the ecosystem.
The summit centered around a core theme: Data is the lifeblood of the AI revolution, and a new digital asset class. Through a series of lightning talks and panel discussions, speakers explored the multifaceted dimensions of this emerging paradigm, from data sovereignty and portability to DataDAOs and data monetization.
Key Discussions
The summit featured four thought-provoking panels that addressed pressing questions in the AI data space:
Data, Decentralization and AI's Next Frontier: An exploration in how decentralization is reshaping AI development and democratizing access.
- JB Rubinovitz, Founder, Tenfold
- Michael Casey, Chairman, DAIS Global
- Viktor, Co-founder, Zuvu
- Moderated by Art Abal, Managing Director of Vana Foundation
Privacy + Security for Data Sovereignty: Panelists discussed the infrastructure needed to ensure privacy and security in a user-owned data economy.
- Aayush Gupta, Founder & CEO, ZK Email
- David Sneider, Co-Founder & CEO, Lit Protocol
- Daniel Marzec, Head of L2 Product, Flashbots
- Chris Rinard, CTO, Open Data Labs
- Moderator: Liz Harkavy, Investment Partner, A16z
Data as a New Asset Class: A discussion examining the financialization of data and its emergence as a recognized asset class in the global economy.
- Bryan Pellegrino, Co-Founder & CEO, LayerZero
- Casey Caruso, Managing Partner, Topology
- David Phelps, Co-Founder, Jokerace
- Moderated by: Shann Wells, VP Marketing, Vana Foundation
How Much is Your Data Worth Today?: The final discussion addressed the practical challenges of valuing personal data and models for fair compensation.
- Ryan Kuhel, Founder, DLP Labs
- Roger Ying, Co-Founder, dFusion
- Colin Stevenson, Head of Data, Open Data Labs
- Darren Rogan, Advisor, Vana
- Moderator: Art Abal, Managing Director, Vana Foundation
Building the Future Together
The AI Data Summit in Denver was a valuable opportunity to bring together diverse voices from across the decentralized AI, data and DeFi ecosystems. These conversations and connections create the foundation for ongoing collaboration in the rapidly evolving space of crypto AI.
For those inspired by this vision, opportunities to engage with Vana and the wider ecosystem of decentralized AI and data continue to grow. If you are a builder, founder or innovator at the intersection of data, AI and finance, join the Vana community and explore our programs to support you on your journey at build.vana.org
Missed the AI Data Summit or want to revist the key discussions?
Watch the full event recap here