a16z-Backed Story Protocol Rebrands as DATA to Tackle AI Copyright Disputes

Story Protocol originally used blockchain technology to build a programmable intellectual-property layer and raised a total of $140 million in funding led by a16z crypto, the crypto investment arm of Andreessen Horowitz. As AI companies face mounting litigation over training-data sources, copyright and user consent, the company is shifting its focus to auditable licensing infrastructure.

On June 25, 2026, Story Protocol announced that it would rebrand as DATA Foundation, with Andrea Muttoni becoming CEO and Kled founder Avi Patel serving as chief data officer. DATA Network will integrate Kled's 1.1 billion user-contributed records, while Trace will use onchain receipts to record data hashes, consent terms, licenses, proof of payment and timestamps.