In a remarkable turnaround, NanoCo has raised an oversubscribed $12 million seed round for its security-oriented project, NanoClaw, just weeks after its launch. The funding round was led by Valley Capital Partners, with participation from notable firms such as Docker, Vercel, and Slow Ventures, along with angel investments from prominent figures like Clem Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face.
The swift success of NanoClaw stems from its creators, Gavriel and Lazer Cohen, who moved from developing the project in their living room to gaining significant attention in just a few weeks. Gavriel Cohen told TechCrunch that they received a $20 million acquisition offer shortly after launching the project, which they chose to decline. He noted, “It was under six weeks from committing the first lines of code to a term sheet,” emphasizing the rapid escalation of interest in NanoClaw.
This surge in attention began when AI researcher Andrej Karpathy endorsed the project on social media, gaining further momentum when Singapore’s foreign minister referred to NanoClaw as his “second brain” in a viral Facebook post. This endorsement sparked outreach from various investors, with Cohen estimating that over 50 tech founders and executives expressed interest in investing through direct messages and emails.
Delangue's involvement highlights the project's potential appeal to industry leaders. After reaching out to Gavriel, the two began discussions about potential collaboration, leading to Delangue's decision to invest as an angel. This connection illustrates the growing ecosystem surrounding NanoClaw, as an active member of its open-source community explores ways to integrate the project with Hugging Face's Reachy Mini robot.
NanoClaw was developed as a secure alternative to OpenClaw, intended to help the Cohen brothers optimize their previous venture, an AI marketing firm. Unlike traditional setups, NanoClaw operates in a sandboxed environment, improving security by limiting access to sensitive services and credentials. This architectural choice aligns with increasing trends in AI infrastructure that prioritize security and privacy.
As interest in NanoClaw continues to rise, the project has quickly attracted thousands of users. The Cohen brothers remain optimistic about the future, with Gavriel stating, “There was a lot of inbound and interest. People reaching out in DMs on X and sending emails.” This enthusiasm may indicate a broader shift in the AI sector, where secure and decentralized solutions are becoming essential components of the technology stack.
Looking ahead, NanoCo's decision to pass on the lucrative acquisition offer in favor of forging its own path could pave the way for innovative advancements in AI infrastructure. With a solid funding base and growing traction, the company seems poised to establish a niche for itself in the evolving AI token economy and decentralized AI space.
