Futureverse
2 known investors
Futureverse builds AI and metaverse technology, including The Root Network blockchain and consumer AI games.
Also known as Futureverse Corp
Investors Β· 2
Also in the syndicate Β· 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Futureverse is an AI and metaverse technology and content company that develops infrastructure, protocols and applications intended to support interoperable digital content, games and experiences. Its stack centres on The Root Network, a decentralized blockchain with a Substrate core, EVM support for smart contracts, custom runtimes for non-fungible assets, a multi-token economy and liquidity and asset bridges. Around it the company has assembled a set of protocol layers: a W3C decentralized identifier (DID) protocol for identifying users and assets across applications, the patent-pending "Doughnuts" delegation protocol enabling fine-grained proof-of-delegation between addresses, the Sylo decentralized communications layer, and the Altered State Machine AI protocol and platform for machine learning in games and other experiences. Consumer-facing products include the FuturePass smart wallet for web3 onboarding and asset storage, an NFT marketplace, and the FutureScore gamified loyalty program.
The company also produces AI content-generation tools spanning music, objects, characters and animations, and has published research on Jen-1, a text-to-music generation model supporting text-guided generation, music inpainting and continuation. On the content side it has released AI-driven games, including "AI League" with FIFA on iOS and Android and "Muhammad Ali - The Next Legends" with Authentic Brands Group, the IP rights holder of Muhammad Ali Enterprises.
The Root Network ecosystem is supported by developer programs, including a Futureverse Track accelerator run with Denarii Labs for builders using Futureverse's modular web3 tooling, and Base Camp, a 12-week accelerator backed by the co-founders' Born Ready fund.
Founding story
Futureverse was co-founded in 2022 by Aaron McDonald, who serves as chief executive, Shara Senderoff, chief strategy officer, information security specialist Marco Brondani and business operator Dan Gillespie. McDonald previously co-founded and was managing director of NetX Fund and was a co-founder, board member and director of Centrality, a New Zealand technology company that later folded into Futureverse. Senderoff came from film, TV and digital media and co-founded Raised in Space, a blockchain investment fund formed with Scooter Braun and Ripple, through which she led a seed investment in Altered State Machine. Senderoff has said the company "built by acquisition to even begin", with its initial ~250 staff being the culmination of the 11 rolled-up companies.
Business model
Futureverse operates as a vertically integrated platform company: it supplies AI and blockchain infrastructure and "Powered By Futureverse" tools to developers and brands, operates The Root Network as a public blockchain with a multi-token economy, and publishes its own consumer games and digital collectible experiences built on that stack with licensed intellectual property. Its co-founders separately run Born Ready, a $50 million venture fund and studio that invests in early-stage ventures with collaboration potential with Futureverse or The Root Network.
Sources describe the company's monetisation only in broad terms: a multi-token economy on The Root Network, consumer games and digital collectibles produced with licensed IP, and, according to critical coverage, token sales to retail investors alongside its venture funding.
Traction
Futureverse reported roughly 250 employees and a roll-up of 11 companies at the time of its 2023 Series A, along with partnerships with FIFA, Authentic Brands Group, Mastercard, Wimbledon, Cool Cats and others, and two shipped AI games ("AI League" and "Muhammad Ali - The Next Legends"). Its Born Ready fund had backed seven companies as of August 2023, including blockchain gaming developer Polemos, with a stated ambition to invest in well over 60 to 75 companies.
Latest developments
In April 2025 Futureverse announced the acquisition of Candy Digital, an NFT company founded by Mike Novogratz and Gary Vaynerchuk among others. In September 2025 the company said it had begun a restructuring of the business, citing the need for adjustments to ensure long-term sustainability, and framed its go-forward focus on the AI part of its business. Earlier in 2025 it appeared on Fast Company's list of most innovative companies with 51-200 employees.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Investor 10T Holdings characterised Futureverse as a vertically integrated platform combining an AI technology provider, metaverse infrastructure builder, layer-1 architect, creative studio and digital community. The company positions itself as maintaining one of the largest digital collectible communities and as an early entrant in AI-driven gaming, and an outside academic observer characterised its roll-up strategy as an ecosystem play, building or buying complementary companies to realise its metaverse vision.
The company combines blockchain infrastructure it controls end to end - a layer-1 network plus identity, delegation, communications and payment protocols - with proprietary AI content-generation models and its own consumer titles, rather than supplying a single layer of the stack, and it assembled these capabilities through acquisition of 11 existing companies.
Technology
The Root Network is a Substrate-based decentralized blockchain with EVM smart-contract support, custom runtimes for non-fungible assets, a multi-token economy and liquidity and asset bridges, integrated with the XRP Ledger so that XRP can be used as a gas token and supporting the XLS-20 NFT standard. Complementary layers include a W3C DID protocol, the patent-pending Doughnuts proof-of-delegation protocol, the Sylo off-chain decentralized communications network, and the Altered State Machine AI protocol and platform. On the AI side the company builds content-generation tools for music, objects, characters and animations, including the Jen-1 text-to-music model.
Go-to-market
The company reaches consumers through branded games and digital collectibles built with major IP partners, and reaches developers through The Root Network, its modular web3 tooling, accelerator programs (Base Camp and a Futureverse Track accelerator run with Denarii Labs) and investment from the Born Ready fund. Brand and IP partnerships have included FIFA, Authentic Brands Group, Mastercard, Wimbledon, Death Row Records, WΔtΔ Workshop, Cool Cats, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, Keanu Reeves and Alexandra Grant, and Ready Player One author Ernest Cline for the "Readyverse" project.
Developers and studios building web3, gaming and metaverse applications on The Root Network; consumer brands and IP rights holders in sports, music, film and entertainment; and end users of its games, digital collectibles and FuturePass wallet.
Geography
Futureverse is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, with press announcements datelined Los Angeles, and operates a global team; several of the rolled-up businesses, including Centrality, originated in New Zealand.
History
The company describes its 2022 public launch as the culmination of five years of strategy and research, and released its whitepaper in June 2022 outlining seven components of its open metaverse stack. It was formed by rolling up 11 metaverse infrastructure and content companies - Altered State Machine, Non-Fungible Labs, Sylo, Centrapay, Centrapass, Immersve, Shadows Interactive, Altered Phoenix, ATEM Car Club, Centrality and DRx - into one ecosystem, bringing its headcount to roughly 250. In July 2023 it closed a $54 million Series A, and in August 2023 its co-founders launched the Born Ready fund. In April 2025 it announced the acquisition of NFT company Candy Digital, and in September 2025 it announced a restructuring of the business with a stated focus on its AI operations.
Risks & controversies
In September 2025, two years after its $54 million Series A, Futureverse announced it was beginning a restructuring of the business and limited comments on the announcement; critical coverage noted that community members accused the company of taking their money or rug-pulling, and observed that the restructuring announcement omitted mention of blockchains, NFTs or metaverses. The same coverage noted the company had raised additional money from token sales to retail investors.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 9
launches, deals, and filingsFutureverse announced it had made the decision to begin restructuring the business, stating that adjustments were needed for long-term sustainability, and framed its focus around the AI portion of its business without reference to blockchain, NFT or metaverse lines.
Futureverse announced the acquisition of Candy Digital, an NFT company created by Mike Novogratz, Gary Vaynerchuk and others.
Futureverse co-founders Shara Senderoff and Aaron McDonald launched Born Ready, a $50 million venture fund and studio investing in early-stage web3 and metaverse ventures with collaboration potential with Futureverse or The Root Network; Daniel Gillespie and Marco Brondani joined as partners. Disclosed investments included FCTRY Lab, Power'd Digital, Polemos and Walker Labs.
$50M source β
A 12-week accelerator backed by the Born Ready fund, commencing in January, planning to accept six to ten pre-seed or seed-stage companies with $100,000 of funding each plus mentorship.
Futureverse published a research paper describing Jen-1, an AI tool that generates musical compositions from text and supports text-guided generation, music inpainting and continuation.
Series A led by 10T Holdings with participation from Ripple, to fund the Futureverse Platform and The Root Network.
$54M source β
Futureverse announced a partnership integrating the Cool Cats NFT brand with its technology; co-founders Senderoff and McDonald joined the Cool Cats board of directors.
Futureverse introduced itself publicly as an open metaverse infrastructure initiative built over five years, describing seven components including The Root Network blockchain, a W3C decentralized identifier protocol, the patent-pending Doughnuts delegation protocol, the Sylo communications layer, the Altered State Machine AI protocol and a Mycelium dual-token economy, and published its whitepaper.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- Futureversefutureverse.org Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Futureverse do?
- Futureverse builds AI and metaverse technology, including The Root Network blockchain and consumer AI games.
- Who are Futureverse's investors?
- Futureverse's investors include Alt Ventures.