Polychain Backs VeryAI as Startup Builds Palm Scan Identity System on Solana to Fight AI Bots

As artificial intelligence reshapes the internet, a new generation of crypto startups is attempting to solve a growing problem: proving that a user online is actually human. VeryAI, a biometric identity startup, has secured $10 million in seed funding led by Polychain Capital to develop a palm-scan verification system designed to combat AI-generated accounts and synthetic identities across digital platforms.

The company’s technology aims to provide crypto exchanges, fintech services and online communities with a new method of identity verification that balances authentication with privacy. By using a smartphone camera to scan a user’s palm, the platform generates an encrypted biometric signature that can be verified onchain using the Solana blockchain.

Rather than storing raw biometric images, the system converts each scan into an irreversible mathematical representation of the palm’s unique features. According to the company, this approach prevents the reconstruction of the original biometric data while still allowing platforms to confirm that a real human is behind an account.

VeryAI records these identity attestations directly on Solana, using zero-knowledge proofs to allow users to demonstrate their human status across different applications without revealing personal information. The goal is to create a portable verification layer that platforms can rely on while preserving user privacy.

The need for such systems has intensified as generative AI tools make it easier than ever to produce deepfakes, automated accounts and synthetic digital identities. According to VeryAI founder and CEO Zach Meltzer, these developments are challenging the assumptions that originally shaped the internet.

“We’re entering a period where the internet can no longer assume that every account, message, or video is created by a real person,” Meltzer said, noting that the rapid progress of AI has disrupted traditional models of online trust.

Crypto platforms are particularly exposed to these risks. Fake accounts can manipulate token incentives, execute sybil attacks during onboarding processes or impersonate legitimate users in community forums and trading environments. Meltzer argues that simply proving a human exists somewhere is not enough; platforms must be able to verify that a genuine individual is actively interacting with their systems.

VeryAI says its palm-based biometrics offer advantages over facial recognition, which is widely used in identity verification but also widely exposed across the internet through photos and videos. Palm patterns, the company claims, are highly distinctive while being less publicly available, making them a stronger candidate for secure biometric authentication.

The startup has already begun collaborating with several organizations across the crypto ecosystem, including exchange MEXC and developer groups such as Colosseum, Clique and Talus. Additional integrations with wallets and centralized exchanges are reportedly underway as the company expands its verification network.

The funding round attracted backing from several prominent investors beyond Polychain Capital, including the Berggruen Institute and venture firm Anagram. Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of the Solana blockchain, also participated as an angel investor, signaling confidence from within the network’s leadership.

Interest in proof-of-human systems has been rising across the tech industry as AI-generated content floods online platforms. Investors and technologists increasingly believe that cryptographic identity frameworks built on blockchain networks could restore some degree of trust to digital interactions.

Projects exploring similar ideas have already emerged. World, the identity network co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, relies on iris scans to verify users while storing proof of uniqueness onchain. Yet such biometric systems have sparked debate among privacy advocates whospan>wa/span>that large-scale identity databases could create new surveillance risks.

For companies like VeryAI, the challenge will be striking the right balance between security and privacy. If successful, blockchain-based biometric verification could become a foundational layer for a future internet where proving one’s humanity may become just as important as logging in.