Latest News on Sahara

Do you still remember Sahara’s tweet on X about the upcoming testnet launch? Yes, it’s finally here. After two and a half months, the SIWA, originally scheduled to go live in April, was finally announced to be launched in mid-May!

SIWA is a public testnet aimed at decentralized AI development and represents the first step towards an open, fair, and accessible AI-driven future. For more details on the specific process, you can refer to the official social media X.

Introduction and Trends of the Sahara Project

Sahara is a decentralized network that leverages blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies to help users realize the value of their knowledge. Its core product, the Sahara Knowledge Agent (KA), is an intelligent agent tool that can analyze data and provide decision-making references. Sahara Data offers data services to support AI development. The network adopts an open architecture, allowing users to collaborate on data securely and develop intelligent applications.

Sahara Project Team

Sean Ren, Co-founder and CEO, former professor at the University of Southern California, has been awarded Samsung AI Researcher of the Year, MIT TR35 Innovator in Asia-Pacific, and Forbes Asia 30 Under 30.

Tyler Zhou, Co-founder and COO, former Investment Director at Binance Labs, with a background in computer science from Berkeley, leads blockchain ecosystem investments and global operations, excelling in the commercialization of technology.

Eligos Cheung, Head of Asia-Pacific, former executive from zkLink/NodeReal ecosystem, Bachelor of Business Administration from City University of Hong Kong, specializes in blockchain cross-chain protocols and market expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.

Lara Avedissian, Head of Ecosystem, former Chief of Staff at Comm, with a dual degree from UCLA and Columbia University, focuses on Web3 community governance and building a global developer ecosystem.

Guang Han, Vice President of Engineering, former senior engineer at Microsoft, with a background in computer science from Harbin Institute of Technology, leads the development of the platform’s technical architecture, ensuring system security and scalability.

Funding Journey of the Sahara Project

In March 2024, the project completed a $6 million seed round of financing, led by Polychain, with participation from Sequoia China, Samsung Next, dao5, Nomad Capital, and other institutions.

In August 2024, the project secured a $43 million Series A round of financing, co-led by YZi Labs, Pantera Capital, and Polychain, with participation from dao5, Nomad Capital, Mirana Ventures, and other institutions.

Future Outlook for Sahara

Sahara is building a platform where knowledge can truly flow. In the future, your professional skills and industry experience will no longer just be words on a resume; instead, they can be transformed into tangible value through AI technology. For example, a senior designer could convert their aesthetic system into an AI model, which junior designers can pay to access for professional guidance; or a veteran traditional Chinese medicine practitioner’s diagnostic experience could be trained into a smart assistant to benefit more people. The most attractive aspect of this platform is that it protects the rights of the original creators while allowing knowledge to be disseminated and monetized in a more flexible manner. With technological advancements, we may see even more unexpected knowledge application scenarios emerging here.