Virtuals Protocol has officially launched the Virtuals Partners Network (VPN), a new initiative designed to accelerate the development of AI-powered crypto agents by connecting top founders with investors, domain experts, and researchers. The announcement was made on March 20 via a post on the project’s official X (formerly Twitter) account.
“Unveiling Virtuals Partners Network (VPN): Virtuals’ first official sherpas, guiding the best founders through every step of their journey,” the post read. “By providing tailored support, funding, and strategic insights, we ensure AI Agents thrive at scale.”
Supporting the Shift Toward Autonomous AI Agents
As the crypto space transitions from human-operated decentralized applications to autonomous AI agents, there is increasing demand for infrastructure, knowledge sharing, and development support tailored to these new entities. VPN is Virtuals Protocol’s answer to this gap.
The network aims to bring together a curated group of investors, domain experts, AI builders, and researchers to foster innovation and streamline AI agent development across the Web3 ecosystem.
- Domain experts will provide specialized guidance to reduce development time.
- Researchers and academics will ensure market alignment through cutting-edge insights.
- Founders and builders will benefit from shared knowledge and resources within the VPN ecosystem.
- Investors will gain early access to projects that have been vetted by the network.
Some of the first backers of the initiative include Tommy Shaughnessy (Delphi Ventures), angel investor Jasmine, and Anand Iyer (Canonical)—adding credibility and momentum to the new ecosystem.
Part of a Larger Trend in Crypto-AI Integration
VPN’s launch aligns with a growing industry trend: crypto platforms investing in AI-focused development. In late 2024, Crypto.com rolled out a grant program to fund developers building AI agents, while Coinbase introduced its CDP AI Builder Grants, awarding five grants of $3,000 to AI bot projects using its MPC wallets.
These programs seek to reinvigorate the AI agent narrative, which has taken a hit amid the recent market downturn. The market cap for AI tokens has dropped from its $10 billion peak to around $4.4 billion, making targeted support more important than ever.
Crypto researcher Crypto Stream previously noted that for liquidity to return to the AI sector, three factors must align: a cooling in large-cap tokens, sustained interest in AI agents, and the absence of competing narratives. By fostering long-term development and engagement, VPN directly supports the second condition, helping maintain momentum in the AI x crypto intersection.
Building the Future of Autonomous Crypto Infrastructure
With VPN, Virtuals Protocol aims to not only provide capital and guidance but also to curate a collaborative ecosystem where developers and investors can co-create the next generation of blockchain-based AI systems. The initiative may prove crucial in unlocking the next phase of Web3 automation and innovation.
As market conditions remain uncertain, initiatives like VPN may be essential in shaping the long-term viability and growth of AI agent infrastructure within crypto.
