Become an Insiderand start reading now. Have an account? . EarnOS, a startup that pays people to interact with brands online to ensure they are seen by humans and not AI bots, has raised $18.5 million in funding.
On Wednesday, the New York-based company launched its app, Ero, where customers can verify they are human and earn rewards for engaging with a brand's content. Users can scroll through the Ero app feed and participate in challenges, such as physical activities tracked through their fitness app, share their data, and click on brand content.
Brands only pay when someone engages with them, and the app helps them to ensure humans, and not AI bots, are seeing their content, Phil George, the startup's CEO and founder, told Business Insider.
"The entirety of advertising online was envisaged at a time where the assumption was that everyone online was a person," George said.
That dynamic has changed with the rise of AI. This month, Cloudflare, a network service firm, said that website traffic from bots had overtaken human activity for the first time.
George positions EarnOS as an "anti-bot" company that's trying to help build a "verified internet." It is also pitching itself as an alternative digital advertising app to Google or Facebook, which rely on clicks and impressions that can sometimes include bot activity.
"Think of it as a loyalty program for who you are as a person rather than as a particular brand," George said.
EarnOS takes a cut of the brand's ad spend on the app, with the remainder — up to 75% of every dollar — going to users who complete tasks with brands on the app, George said. The app distributes rewards in the USD stablecoin cryptocurrency, which users can then spend with merchants in dollars via an EarnOS Visa card.
EarnOS said the app has launched in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia, with a $30 million annualized rewards pool funded by participating brands across industries such as ride-hailing, retail, streaming, and consumer finance.
The company ran a beta test of the service from March 2025 through the end of the year. EarnOS said it partnered with 152 brands, had 3 million signups, and paid out $50,000 in rewards during this period.
Already, it's working with brands like Nike.
"EarnOS creates an opportunity to make brand interactions fun, participatory, and transparent, and to get away from AI slop," said John Shiel, senior content and engagement manager at Nike Innovation Labs.
Investment firm 1kx led its $6 million round, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Circle Ventures, and Social Graph Ventures.
The remaining $12.5 million financing comes from Verona, which EarnOs will get over four years.
George said the company plans to use the funding to expand into new markets later this year as bot activity soars.
"I think the internet is going to get worse before it gets better," he said.
Here's an exclusive look at the 24-page pitch deck EarnOS used during the fundraising process to secure $18.5 million. Some commercially sensitive slides have been omitted.