Why we invested in Primus, a new standard for on-chain, verifiable, and privacy-preserving AI
As AI reshapes industries, one critical challenge emerges: how can we ensure the data fueling AI models remains both verifiable and confidential? Today’s massive data pipelines—spanning from web2 databases to decentralized, web3-based applications—lack a simple, trusted way to verify data integrity without exposing sensitive information.
Primus solves these core challenges with a unified platform. By uniting two advanced cryptographic techniques—Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) and Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK)—Primus enables developers to verify and compute data flowing from web2 into web3, all while keeping that data encrypted. For use cases ranging from healthcare analytics to confidential financial services, this means AI models can harness high-quality data without ever revealing or compromising the information itself.
In the near term, Primus’ platform ensures real-time data verification and secure data flows, allowing AI to make accurate, trustless inferences across decentralized networks. Looking ahead, Primus’ roadmap for FHE will enable advanced encrypted computations, opening the door for truly privacy-preserving AI agents. Imagine autonomous applications that can operate on sensitive data—such as medical records or proprietary financial information—without human oversight, and without any risk of leaks or breaches. This is the future Primus is enabling: a world where AI can learn, adapt, and transact securely across global networks.
Primus is guided by CEO Xiang Xie, who holds a Ph.D. in Cryptography and honed expertise in privacy-preserving cryptography at MatrixElements and O(1) Labs. Under Xiang’s leadership, the team combines deep technical knowledge with extensive ecosystem-building experience, positioning Primus to tackle the complexities of developing an on-chain, verifiable, and privacy-preserving AI platform. Through this synthesis of cutting-edge research and strategic execution, Primus is uniquely equipped to advance the next generation of decentralized AI solutions.
We believe Primus’ infrastructure is poised to become a lynchpin for the next generation of decentralized AI—one in which data integrity and privacy are non-negotiable. By integrating robust cryptographic proofs with high-performance computing, Primus is addressing both the immediate requirement for trustworthy data flows and the broader opportunity to unleash fully encrypted AI models.
We’re excited to join their $3.5M seed round alongside Dispersion and Symbolic Capital. Primus’ dual focus on verifiable data and privacy-preserving analytics is precisely why we’re backing the team. Their work doesn’t just meet today’s demand for enhanced security; it lays the groundwork for a transformative era where AI can operate autonomously, ethically, and at global scale.
Sam Campbell is an investor at Samsung Next. Samsung Next’s investment strategy is limited to its own views and does not reflect the vision or strategy of any other Samsung business unit, including, but not limited to, Samsung Electronics.