Ryan Li has long been steeped in the worlds of both AI and crypto. He started working with AI about ten years ago as an undergrad at UC Berkeley and has since built two crypto startups. That experience has led him to conclude that popular AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity give rise to far too many hallucinations about crypto—and that those errors can cost traders millions, if not billions, of dollars. That’s why he cofounded Surf, an AI platform specialized for the world of crypto.
On Wednesday, his startup announced that it raised $15 million from Pantera Capital, with participation from Coinbase Ventures and Digital Currency Group. Li, the startup’s CEO, did not disclose the company’s valuation in an interview with Fortune.
