Technology startup SignSplit has secured $400 million in seed funding from W Group, reaching a valuation of $1 billion as it develops a platform designed to give individuals and organisations greater control over how their data, creative work and likeness are used in artificial intelligence.

W Group was the sole investor in the round. The funding arrangement combines capital with a multi-year package of strategic resources intended to support SignSplit’s global rollout.

The investment comes at a time when AI-generated content is raising difficult questions about ownership, permission and compensation. For SignSplit, the opportunity lies in creating a system through which people and institutions can protect their contributions while also allowing them to be licensed and used.

Rather than treating personal data and creative work solely as inputs for AI systems, the company wants to make the rights attached to those contributions part of the process.

A $400 Million Bet on Signed Data

SignSplit’s approach centres on what it calls “signed data,” a framework intended to connect human contributions with information about their origin, permissions and associated rights.

The company says its platform enables individuals and institutions to protect, license and contribute their data, work and likeness. Its broader ambition is to make participation in the AI economy possible without separating people’s contributions from their rights.

This approach addresses a challenge facing the AI industry. As AI systems become more capable of reproducing voices, appearances and creative output, the question is no longer simply what technology can generate. It is also who has authorised the use of the underlying material and whether the people involved should be compensated.

Alessandro Monterosso, SignSplit‘s CEO and co-founder, believes the relationship between human experience and technology will become increasingly interconnected as AI develops.

He sees signed data as a way to connect that relationship with protection, participation and compensation, allowing people and organisations to retain a meaningful role as technology advances.

W Group’s Investment Goes Beyond Funding

The size of SignSplit’s seed round is notable, but the structure of the investment offers another important detail.

The $400 million arrangement includes a multi-year commitment of strategic resources alongside capital, giving SignSplit support for its planned international expansion.

W Group is led by Volodymyr Nosov, the founder of cryptocurrency exchange WhiteBIT. The group operates as a technology-focused business ecosystem that includes WhiteBIT and other companies.

Nosov has described SignSplit’s technology as a potential infrastructure layer for businesses operating in AI and the data economy.

His investment reflects a belief that handling human data with clear permissions and rights will become increasingly important for industries adopting AI.

W Group has also been expanding its investment interests. In June 2026, Nosov became a co-owner of Dutch luxury car manufacturer Spyker.

SignSplit represents another addition to the group’s investment activities.

Why Data Quality Could Be SignSplit’s Biggest Opportunity

While the funding announcement places considerable emphasis on protecting creators and personal identities, SignSplit is also targeting a broader technical requirement: access to reliable, properly authorised data.

The company identifies potential applications across science, healthcare, media and entertainment, with robotics and AI developers among its intended customers.

Glib Denisov, SignSplit’s co-founder, executive chairman and chief product officer, has highlighted this distinction in explaining the company’s direction.

Denisov believes the next generation of AI will require higher-quality real-world data supported by clear provenance, permissions and rights, rather than simply larger quantities of information.

For an AI developer, information with traceable origins and defined usage rights could offer a more straightforward basis for obtaining and using data. For individuals and institutions, the same approach could provide a clearer framework for deciding how their contributions are used.

These remain potential benefits of SignSplit’s proposed approach, rather than independently established outcomes of its platform.

AI Likeness Concerns Give the Investment Wider Relevance

The funding arrives against a backdrop of growing concern among performers and creators over AI-generated imitations.

In January 2026, actor Matthew McConaughey filed a series of trademarks intended to discourage unauthorised AI use of his voice and likeness. Singer Taylor Swift pursued similar filings in April.

These developments illustrate how public figures have begun using legal protections to address the reproduction of their identities through AI.

SignSplit is approaching the issue from a different direction.

Its proposed solution focuses on creating a system in which data, identity and creative contributions can be connected to defined rights and permissions before they are used.

A framework that allows people to authorise the use of their work or likeness could potentially create opportunities for licensing and compensation while preserving control over those contributions.

What the $1 Billion Valuation Means for SignSplit

SignSplit’s reported $1 billion valuation places considerable expectations on a company that has just announced a major seed financing round.

The investment signals W Group’s confidence in the commercial potential of infrastructure designed around data ownership, licensing and permissions.

But the next test will extend beyond the size of the funding.

SignSplit intends to serve a diverse set of industries, from entertainment businesses managing creative rights to AI and robotics companies seeking reliable real-world information.

The company will need to translate its signed-data approach into practical applications for those different customers as it moves ahead with its global rollout.

A Different Question for the AI Economy

Much of the attention surrounding artificial intelligence has focused on the speed of technological development and the growing capabilities of AI models.

SignSplit is placing a different question at the centre of its business: how can the people and institutions whose data, creativity and identities contribute to AI retain control and participate in the value created?

Its $400 million funding round suggests that W Group sees significant commercial potential in answering that question.

Whether signed data becomes a widely adopted approach will depend on how effectively SignSplit can demonstrate its value to customers and build adoption across the industries it intends to serve.

For now, the investment gives the startup substantial backing to pursue an idea that could become increasingly relevant as AI systems expand into more areas of everyday life and business.

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