AI platform Surf completes $15 million funding, led by Pantera Capital

On December 10, the specialized AI platform for the cryptocurrency field, Surf, announced the completion of a $15 million funding round, led by Pantera Capital, with participation from CEX Ventures and Digital Currency Group. Surf launched as an invite-only product in July and fully opened to the public in September. According to company data, the platform currently has over 300,000 users and has generated more than 1 million search results. Li stated that Surf can answer a wide range of crypto questions from basic to advanced technical topics. 80% of the platform’s users are not industry practitioners, while the remaining 20% come from venture capital, exchanges, and other crypto-related institutions. The startup claims its revenue has reached several million dollars and aims to grow to $10 million by the end of 2026. Surf’s revenue model is subscription-based, with users paying between $15 and $399 per month depending on their tier. The platform also offers a free version, but with a limited number of questions per day. The company currently has fewer than 30 employees. Li considers main competitors to be mainstream AI models such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Grok. According to a benchmark report co-authored with Princeton University, Surf outperforms ChatGPT and Grok by four times on crypto-related tasks.