Altered State Machine is a technology company.
Altered State Machine has raised $11.0M across 1 funding round.
Altered State Machine has raised $11.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Altered State Machine has raised $11.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Altered State Machine's investors include Airtree Ventures, Big Sky Health, Dreamers VC, First Round Capital, Gutter Capital, LightShed Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Pillar VC, Polygon, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Quiet Capital, Howard Lindzon.
Altered State Machine (ASM) is a decentralized protocol enabling users to own, train, and trade AI agents as NFTs, primarily for metaverse, gaming, and AI applications.[1][2][3] It powers the creation of ASM Brains—unique, trainable AI entities represented as NFTs—that integrate into games, virtual worlds, financial apps, and avatars, solving the lack of intelligent, ownable NPCs in metaverses by allowing AI evolution through genomic mining and machine learning in an "Artificial Intelligence Gym."[1][3][4] ASM serves developers, gamers, and organizations building immersive experiences, with its ASTO token driving governance, training, minting, and play-to-earn economies; it has shown growth via a 2022 seed round backed by Coinbase Ventures, Warner Music Group, and others, plus integration into games like Muhammad Ali | The Next Legends and a merger into Futureverse.[3]
Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, with over 100 global staff, ASM emphasizes open-source tech for an inclusive metaverse where AI value flows to contributors.[2]
ASM was founded in 2021 by brothers Arron and David McDonald, alongside Phil Williams and Hal Smith-Stevens, who aimed to bridge AI with blockchain for ownable intelligence.[1][4] The idea emerged from recognizing NFTs' limitations as static assets, evolving them into dynamic AI agents with personality for metaverses lacking vibrant NPCs.[4] Early traction came via a proof-of-concept game, *Artificial Intelligence Football Association*, and expansion to applications like the Muhammad Ali boxing game, culminating in a seed raise from 17 investors including TCG and Coinbase Ventures in March 2022, plus a merger with 10 companies to form Futureverse.[3][4]
ASM rides the AI-metaverse convergence trend, timing perfectly with NFT evolution, blockchain interoperability, and demand for autonomous agents in Web3 gaming and virtual worlds.[1][2][3] Market forces like rising play-to-earn models, decentralized AI ownership, and metaverse growth favor it, addressing NPC intelligence gaps for richer experiences while democratizing AI via NFTs—positioning ASM as a leader in "AI for everyone."[3][4] It influences the ecosystem by open-sourcing protocols, fostering contributor value flow, and enabling multi-agent commerce, competing with Virtuals Protocol and Soul Machines.[1]
ASM is poised to expand via Futureverse synergies, deeper game integrations, and ASTO-driven economies amid AI agent proliferation in Web3.[3] Trends like multi-agent AI coordination, metaverse maturity, and tokenized intelligence will propel it, potentially evolving influence through broader NFT-AI standards and DAO governance.[2][4] As the ownership layer for trainable AI, ASM could redefine metaverse vibrancy, looping back to its core promise of empowering users with intelligent, monetizable agents.[1][3]
Altered State Machine has raised $11.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $11.0M Seed in March 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2022 | $11.0M Seed | Airtree Ventures, Big Sky Health, Dreamers VC, First Round Capital, Gutter Capital, LightShed Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Pillar VC, Polygon, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Quiet Capital, Howard Lindzon, Jarrod Dicker, TCG (The Chernin Group), Vast Ventures, Wave Financial, WGI Group, Diego Berdakin, Joe Proto, Josh Elman, Kevin Lin, Mario Götze, Ron Pragides, Sebastien Borget |