OpenLedger Launches OPEN Mainnet: Polychain-Backed Protocol for AI Data Attribution and Creator Payments

OpenLedger, a Web3 firm specializing in decentralized data infrastructure for AI, has officially launched its OPEN Mainnet. This milestone introduces an attribution-driven system to track AI data lineage and ensure fair compensation for contributors, addressing key challenges in the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain.

The OPEN Mainnet: Core Purpose and Functionality

The OPEN Mainnet serves as the foundational layer for OpenLedger’s ecosystem, enabling verifiable attribution of data used in AI models. It tracks the origin and usage of datasets across the network, allowing creators—such as data providers, annotators, and curators—to receive automated payments based on their contributions. This is achieved through smart contracts that log data provenance and distribute royalties in real-time, fostering a transparent economy where value flows back to originators.

Key features include:

• Data Lineage Tracking: Immutable records of data sources and transformations for AI training.
• Automated Compensation: On-chain mechanisms for micropayments to contributors.
• Interoperability: Compatible with major blockchains for seamless AI-DeFi integration.

The mainnet launch follows a successful testnet phase, where early participants validated the attribution model and processed over 1 million simulated data contributions.

Funding Background: $8 Million Raise from Top Investors

OpenLedger secured $8 million in seed funding in early 2025, led by Polychain Capital and Borderless Capital, with participation from other prominent Web3 investors. This capital has fueled the development of the OPEN protocol, focusing on scalable data attribution for AI applications. The funding round valued the company at an undisclosed amount, supporting the mainnet rollout and future expansions into AI governance tools.

The investment aligns with Polychain’s thesis on decentralized AI infrastructure, emphasizing OpenLedger’s potential to create fair economic models for data creators in a $500 billion+ AI market.

Implications for AI and Web3: Fair Data Ecosystems

The OPEN Mainnet launch positions OpenLedger as a key player in bridging AI and blockchain, where data scarcity and attribution disputes hinder innovation. By enabling verifiable provenance and automated royalties, it empowers individual contributors—often overlooked in centralized AI pipelines—to monetize their inputs sustainably. This could accelerate adoption of open-source AI datasets while reducing reliance on proprietary models.

As the protocol matures, OpenLedger plans to integrate with DeFi for yield-bearing data pools and expand attribution to multimedia assets.

In summary, OpenLedger’s OPEN Mainnet, backed by $8 million from Polychain Capital and Borderless Capital, introduces verifiable AI data attribution and creator payments, laying the groundwork for a fair, decentralized data economy in Web3.