&Volume is an Edinburgh-based technology company founded in 2024 that builds an autonomous AI-driven crypto portfolio management tool.[1][2] It serves casual crypto investors—millions of whom lose money due to inexperience and impulsive decisions—by providing a "crypto winter insurance policy" that protects deposits during market downturns and captures profits during recoveries.[1][2] The non-custodial system integrates with cryptocurrency exchanges for automated trading, requires no prior experience beyond selecting a risk level, and offers free and paid plans starting at $19/month, solving the problem of complex, risky crypto investing through machine learning algorithms grounded in academic research.[1][2][4]
&Volume was founded in 2024 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, by ILIA KRAEV, a Web 3.0 entrepreneur and CEO with a background in entrepreneurship and innovation from The University of Edinburgh, alongside Nick Oynoyan and Danil Ovchinnikov, who hold significant ownership stakes.[1][2][6] The idea emerged during their Master's thesis at the University of Edinburgh under the working title "Project Garuda," initially targeting automated trading for traditional stock and forex markets but pivoting to crypto due to high brokerage licensing costs.[2] The university provided critical support, including access to AI research, mentors from Student Enterprise, industry contacts, and educational resources, enabling rapid development from prototype to product; early backing came from Edinburgh Innovations.[1][2]
&Volume rides the wave of AI democratization in fintech, particularly automated crypto trading amid growing retail investor interest in decentralized finance (DeFi) and Web 3.0.[1][2] Its timing aligns with maturing machine learning applications in finance—leveraging university-backed AI research—and the crypto market's post-winter recovery, where tools addressing 80% loss rates for casual traders gain traction.[1][4] Market forces like regulatory clarity in the UK/EU, open banking parallels in crypto integrations, and demand for non-custodial solutions favor its growth, influencing the ecosystem by building trust through transparency and pulling crypto "out of the shadows" for mainstream adoption.[2]
&Volume's early university incubation and pivot to crypto position it for scaling as AI trading bots evolve with advanced models and broader exchange integrations.[2][4] Upcoming trends like enhanced AI for real-time market prediction, regulatory tailwinds in Europe, and hybrid tradfi-crypto strategies will shape its path, potentially expanding beyond retail to institutional portfolios. Its influence may grow by setting standards for protective, accessible AI tools, challenging impulsive trading norms and fostering wider crypto participation—turning novice losses into sustained ecosystem gains.[1][2]
