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 the blockchain giant Chainalysis, B-17 has learned from multiple sources.

The total acquisition amount was about $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, Alterya, based in Israel, developed AI-powered technology that uses agents to detect and prevent scams targeting financial institutions, fintech, and crypto service providers. The startup says it can detect malicious digital identities across websites, social media, text messages, and more.

Its clients include Coinbase, Square, and Binance. The startup, which was founded in 2022, is the brainchild of the 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; it 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 AI tools that can perform tasks on their own. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, recently predicted that 2025 would be the year that the first agents “join the workforce.” Venture capitalists are swooning at the promise of these digital coworkers.