Masa: The “Decentralised Google” That Empowers Users to Monetise from Their Data

Democratising Data Ownership in the Age of AI

The data we generate online, from our browsing history to our social media posts, is currently locked away in silos controlled by big tech companies.

This data is often sold without our consent or compensation, fueling a land grab that has accelerated with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

AI models require vast amounts of data to train, and big tech has the upper hand in this area.

Masa Network is a revolutionary blockchain project that aims to shift the power dynamic back to users.

With Masa, your data becomes your own. You can choose what data to share and with whom, and even earn rewards for contributing your data to the network.

This data is then used to train AI models in a privacy-preserving manner, creating a win-win situation for both users and developers.

What is Masa?

Launched in April 2024, Masa operates as a subnet on the Avalanche blockchain.

This innovative platform tackles the challenge of data ownership in the AI industry.

Traditionally, big tech companies hoard user data, using it to train AI models without offering any compensation to users.

Masa disrupts this model by creating a decentralised data marketplace.

Users can contribute their data points (browsing history, social media activity, etc.) and choose how they're used.

With Masa's Zero-Knowledge Soulbound Tokens (zkSBTs), users retain complete control over their data.

These tokens act as encrypted personal data lockers, allowing users to share specific details with developers without revealing their raw data.

So What’s the Issue with Big Tech's AI Training Grounds?

Big Tech companies like Google, Meta (formerly Facebook), and OpenAI train their AI on a vast ocean of information.

This data comes from various sources, including public posts on social media platforms, anonymized search queries, and even user-generated content like text and images.

While the legality can differ depending on the data and user consent, the vast amount raises concerns about privacy and potential bias.

These companies argue that anonymisation protects user identity, but the ethical implications of training AI on such a scale are a growing debate.

Masa Takes Center Stage in the Booming Decentralised AI (DeAI) Landscape

The AI sector within the crypto industry is experiencing explosive growth, with analysts predicting its value to skyrocket in the coming years.

This trend is fueled by the integration of AI applications with blockchain technology.

Supported by over 220,400 X followers, Masa is at the forefront of this DeAI revolution, providing the crucial ingredient for AI development – data.

How Does Masa Work? How to Monetise?

Masa offers a paradigm shift from the traditional model of data collection. Users can stake their data in various pools on Masa's Marketplace, essentially putting their data to work for them.

This marketplace has two sides.

On one hand, users contribute their data and earn rewards. This "personal data staking" allows users to earn passive rewards in the form of MASA tokens, the native cryptocurrency of the Masa Network.

This data is then anonymised and aggregated before being made available to developers and businesses.

On the other hand, developers and businesses can access this rich data pool to train AI models, build applications, or power decentralised advertising.

Importantly, they pay for this access using MASA tokens, creating a sustainable economic model.

Masa uses cutting-edge encryption technology, including zero-knowledge proofs, to ensure user privacy.

This means that developers can verify data without ever seeing the underlying raw data itself.

For example, an age verification request would only reveal a "yes" or "no" answer, without exposing your date of birth.

Who is Steering the Masa Ship

Masa Network is the brainchild of two visionary leaders – Brendan Playford and Calanthia Mei.

Brendan Playford, Co-Founder & CEO
Socials: X | Linkedin

Brendan Playford is a seasoned entrepreneur with extensive experience in blockchain technology and business leadership with over 103,000 X followers.

He is currently the Co-Founder of Masa Finance, a role he has held since May 2020.

Previously, he was the CEO and Co-Founder of Pngme from August 2018 to January 2023 and a Founding Partner of The Bureau, a blockchain incubator in San Francisco, from September 2017 to January 2021.

Playford has also founded and led several other companies, including Constellation Labs, Swift Mine Ltd, and Crush Foods Ltd.

He held key roles such as Head of Demand Generation at DroneDeploy and Account Director at FullFunnel, managing growth programs for technology companies.

His educational background includes a Master of Science (MSc) in Physics from UCL, a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Natural Sciences from The Open University, and coursework in Physics and Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Playford’s involvement in early cryptocurrency adoption, including participating in Ethereum's ICO in 2014, reflects his commitment to the potential of decentralised technologies to transform traditional industries.

Calanthia Mei, Co-Founder
Socials: X | Linkedin

Calanthia Mei is a co-founder at Masa and has been a significant figure in global fintech for the past decade.

As a founding member of PayPal’s venture capital arm, she invested in 25 leading fintech and web3 startups across various regions, including the US, Europe, Asia, LatAm, and Africa.

Calanthia also successfully scaled a fintech startup from 20 to 450 employees, leading to its acquisition by a public company.

Her work has been recognised in major industry publications such as CNBC, the New York Stock Exchange, CoinTelegraph, and Blockworks.

Calanthia’s vision is to build a more connected, decentralised, and equitable world.

Financial Backing for a Promising Future

Masa's journey began in 2022 with a successful pre-seed funding round that raised $3.5 million. This early backing provided the foundation for developing the core concepts of the Masa Network.

In May 2024, Masa secured $5.4 million in a seed funding round led by Anagram, a venture capital firm focused on fostering innovation in the blockchain space.

Notable investors like Digital Currency Group (DCG) and Avalanche Blizzard Fund also participated in this round, demonstrating their confidence in Masa's potential to disrupt the data ownership landscape.

Finally, in March 2024, Masa conducted a public sale on CoinList that sold out in 17 minutes, raising an additional $8.79 million. It became one of the most anticipated launches of 2024 on CoinList.

Notably, Masa was the only AI project featured on CoinList Launchpad in 2024, highlighting the immense interest in their user-empowering model.

This successful public offering solidified Masa's position as a major player in the decentralised data economy.

The Masa App – Your Gateway to Data Ownership

The Masa App serves as the central hub for users to interact with the Masa Network. It empowers you to take control of your data in several ways:

• Stake or Bridge Your MASA Tokens: The Masa App allows you to stake your MASA tokens, the native currency of the Masa Network, to earn rewards. You can also bridge your MASA tokens to other blockchains, expanding their utility within the wider cryptocurrency ecosystem.

• Claim MASA Airdrops: The Masa App keeps you informed about any ongoing airdrop programs, allowing you to claim free MASA tokens for participating in the network.
• Monetise Your Data Points: The Masa App provides a marketplace where you can stake your data points in various data pools. This enables developers to access your data for training AI models and creating applications, while you earn rewards for sharing your valuable information.
• Create Your Own Domains: The Masa App empowers you to create your own data domains, further solidifying your ownership and control over your personal information.

With the Masa App, you are no longer a passive provider of data. You are an active participant in a new data economy, where your information has value and you are compensated for its use.

Masa Joins Forces with Bittensor to Supercharge Decentralised AI

In July 2024, Masa became the first live token on the Bittensor Subnet ecosystem.

Bittensor is a protocol pioneering the decentralised production of artificial intelligence.

This collaboration allows Masa to leverage Bittensor's peer-to-peer machine intelligence network to streamline AI data aggregation, transformation, and access.

Together, they envision a future of "Fair AI" powered by the people, where developers can build anything, anywhere with the world's data.

The Masa Bittensor Subnet offers a treasure trove of data for AI development, encompassing various sources like social media platforms, podcasts, and web data.

This real-time and static data is meticulously structured, annotated, and vectorized to fuel cutting-edge AI applications.

Developers are already utilising Masa data for diverse purposes, such as generating trading signals and building personalised AI companions.

Masa's Dual-Token Incentive Structure Fuels Network Growth

Masa's integration with Bittensor introduces a unique dual-token incentive structure.

Contributors to the Masa Bittensor Subnet, including validators and workers, are rewarded in both MASA and TAO, the native token of Bittensor.

This incentivizes participation and fuels the growth of the network. Masa also utilises game theory frameworks to ensure an efficient system that rewards users based on the value of their contributions.

Masa's Mission for A Fairer AI Future

Masa aims to revolutionise the way AI is developed and utilised.

Here are its key goals:

User Empowerment: Masa puts users back in control of their data. Users can decide what information to share and earn rewards for doing so. This creates a more balanced data ecosystem, where users are no longer treated as mere sources of data.

Privacy-Preserving AI: By leveraging zkSBTs and decentralised storage, Masa ensures user privacy is paramount. Users can share data without compromising their personal information.

Decentralised AI Development: Masa promotes the development of open-source, decentralised AI models. This reduces reliance on centralised entities and fosters a more transparent and democratic AI landscape.

Where to Trade $MASA?

The MASA token is now live and tradable on several leading cryptocurrency exchanges, such as Bybit, Kucoin, Gate.io, Huobi Global (HTX), PancakeSwap, making it easily accessible to users around the world.

On top of that, there are trading competitions on three exchanges – Coinone, Kucoin and Gate.io, with 3,500,000+ $MASA to win.

Unfortunately, the competition has ended on Kucoin. However, it is still on-going on the other two exchanges..

On Coinone, the event will conclude on 18 July at 11:59 PM KST, while on Gate.io, it will end on 2 August at 4:00 AM UTC.

Masa Offers a Legal Path to Data, But Will It Be Enough?

Masa Network presents a compelling solution for ethical data acquisition in the AI industry.

By giving users control over their data and offering compensation for its use, Masa tackles a major hurdle in responsible AI development.

However, the potential user base for Masa's marketplace might be smaller compared to the data troves currently leveraged by big tech.

This could limit the volume and diversity of data available for AI training, potentially impacting the accuracy and effectiveness of AI models.

Can a user-centric approach to data collection compete with the vast, often unethically sourced datasets powering today's AI?

This would depend on how Masa aims to boost the quality and volume of data comparable to big tech, while maintaining ethical standards.