KGeN Raises $13.5M to Scale Verified User Protocol
KGeN, the company behind a leading verification protocol for AI, DeFi, and gaming, has completed another $13.5 million funding round.
The round was led by Jump Crypto, alongside Accel and Prosus Ventures, bringing KGeN’s total funding to $43.5M. During earlier raises, the startup achieved a valuation of $500 million.
The funding will accelerate KGeN’s expansion of its verification and reputation framework, which has quickly become a critical infrastructure layer for digital applications.
Building Trust Through Verified Communities
KGeN positions itself as solving one of the hardest problems in digital growth — trust. Its framework verifies real users through signals of engagement, commerce, and reputation.
“KGeN solves the hardest problem in consumer growth: trust. By verifying real users and turning reputation into an asset, we’re giving AI, DeFi, gaming companies and consumer apps a distribution rail that converts and scales,” said Manish Agarwal, elder council at KGeN.
The protocol already powers engagement in over 60 countries, supporting startups and global consumer apps. The result is a bot-resistant distribution system where real users are rewarded for their time, skills, and networking.
Revenue Growth and Global Expansion
KGeN has rapidly scaled since 2023, adding a commercial stack and loyalty infrastructure. The team has grown to 95 experts, with reported revenues reaching $48.3 million.
The company’s privacy-oriented identity and reputation protocol tracks over 876 million data points tied to real user activity. This includes biometric verification, on-chain loyalty tools, rewards, and a decentralised marketplace under its POGE ecosystem.
This framework has allowed KGeN to stand out as one of the leading verified user services in the Global South, supporting digital distribution and trust in regions often underserved by traditional models.
KGeN Leads Aptos Ecosystem and Expands With VeriFi
KGeN’s growth is also evident in blockchain adoption. The app recently led the Aptos ecosystem in transaction volume, becoming its most active application.
The company is now building VeriFi, described as the world’s largest Verified Distribution Protocol. VeriFi connects real, verified users with businesses across AI, DeFi, and gaming, offering targeted and measurable distribution channels.
K-Store, another KGeN product, provides decentralised storefronts with AI-driven campaign tools. This allows startups to analyse human-generated signals while launching loyalty programs or targeted promotions.
“KGeN has changed distribution into an accountable system of record from what was once a spend line,” said Saurabh Sharma, Chief Investment Officer at Jump Crypto.
He added: “The combination of verified users, on-chain proofs, and real revenue traction sets the protocol to power the new influx of AI and DeFi applications.”
Verified Distribution as a New Growth Model
For startups, KGeN’s model reduces the complexity of user acquisition. Rather than verifying users from scratch, projects can plug into KGeN’s verified user base, gaining trusted engagement from day one.
This approach has created a new growth category known as VeriFi, or user-verified distribution, aimed at supporting tokenized economies and Web3 applications.
The system delivers benefits on both sides:
- Users gain rewards, reputation scores, and opportunities for commerce.
- Businesses receive proof of genuine engagement and reduced exposure to bots.
With AI and DeFi ecosystems rapidly expanding, verified user protocols are becoming essential for building sustainable digital economies.
More News: Concept Ventures Secures €75M to Launch Europe’s Largest Pre-Seed Fund
Token Plans and Future Outlook
Unlike many Web3 protocols, KGeN has so far avoided an early token launch, instead relying on venture capital backing. However, the company is currently running an airdrop campaign, with points to be swapped 1:1 into the upcoming KGeN token.
This suggests the protocol is preparing for a native token economy, which could further scale adoption by incentivising users, developers, and partner platforms.
By bridging identity, reputation, and commerce, KGeN aims to become a core layer of the internet’s next growth wave, spanning AI-powered applications, decentralised finance, and gaming ecosystems. To stay updated on crypto venture capital funding and market trends, visit our venture capital news section for more insights.
