Blockchain giant Chainalysis acquires stealth AI agent security startup Alterya for over $100 million

Before even leaving stealth mode, Alterya, a startup that uses AI agents to detect fraud, is being acquired by blockchain giant Chainalysis, B-17 has learned from multiple sources.

The total acquisition amount was around $150 million, according to two sources familiar with the deal.

Alterya has raised $9.8 million in seed funding from Battery Ventures, Y Combinator, NFX, and Nyca.

A graduate of the storied Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator, Israeli-based Alterya developed AI-powered technology that uses agents to detect and prevent scams targeting financial institutions, fintech, and crypto service providers. The startup can detect malicious digital identities across websites, social media, text messages, and more, according to Alterya’s website.

Its clients include Coinbase, Square, and Binance. The startup, which was only founded in 2022, is the brainchild of Israeli entrepreneurs Elad Fouks and Shahaf Gonen.

Chainalysis provides crypto analysis and forensic services and helps financial institutions like Barclays and BNY Mellon identify criminal activity and ensure regulatory compliance. To date, the company has raised $538 million and last raised funding in 2022 at a valuation of $8.6 billion.

The acquisition is representative of an increased appetite for AI agents, which are broadly a set of artificial intelligence tools that can perform tasks on their own. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, recently said that 2025 will be the year that the first “agents” will “join the workforce.” Venture capitalists are swooning at the promise of these digital coworkers.