Data Guardians Network raises $5M to scale ethical AI training data through gamified annotation platform

Spanish AI data startup Data Guardians Network has secured $5 million in pre-seed funding led by droppGroup, with participation from Hub Culture and angel investor Hamoud Al Rumayan, as the company scales its decentralized platform that transforms AI training data sourcing through gamified microtasks and blockchain-verified transparency.

Founded in 2024 by Johanna Cabildo, Data Guardians Network (D-GN) addresses the challenge of sourcing high-quality, ethically compliant AI training data at enterprise scale. The platform operates as a decentralized contributor network where millions of verified global users perform data annotation tasks (labeling images, facial expressions, speech, gestures, and spatial audio) through gamified experiences that provide fair stablecoin compensation.

Central to D-GN's idea is their blockchain-backed transparency system that records every annotation and contributor action on-chain, guaranteeing provenance, auditability, and copyright-safe workflows. This approach enables enterprises to launch customized "missions" for collecting real-time, high-fidelity training datasets while reducing legal risks and ensuring data trustworthiness through live monitoring and quality scoring.

With growing regulatory scrutiny around AI data sourcing and bias, D-GN's approach to combining decentralized human input with transparent compensation positions the company to capture significant market share as enterprises seek alternatives to scraped or unlicensed content.

Founder: Johanna Cabildo

Sources: Pulse 2.0, Entrepreneur, HackerNoon