Winklevoss Twins Back AI Firm Octane in $6.7 Million Push for Safer Crypto Code

San Francisco-based startup Octane has raised $6.7 million in a funding round led by Winklevoss Capital and crypto investment firm Archetype. The announcement, made on Tuesday, highlights the growing urgency to protect blockchain ecosystems from escalating cyber threats. Founded in 2023 by software engineer Giovanni Vignone, the company leverages artificial intelligence to bolster code auditing, offering a proactive solution to vulnerabilities that have plagued the sector for years.

Blockchain tech, often praised for its robustness, continues to face persistent security risks. Individual projects and cross-chain bridges have emerged as prime targets for cybercriminals, resulting in staggering financial losses. In 2024 alone, hackers siphoned off roughly $2.2 billion in cryptocurrency through exploits. Alarmingly, just four months into 2025, that figure is already close to being matched, signaling an accelerating crisis.

Octane’s mission is rooted in this reality, driven by Vignone’s firsthand experience witnessing the fallout of countless breaches. He estimates that over $11 billion has been drained from the ecosystem, despite significant investments in traditional security measures. For Vignone, the status quo, where teams spend between $50,000 and $200,000 annually on code protection yet still fall victim to attacks, is not sustainable.

Revolutionizing Security with AI-Driven Innovation

Octane’s approach centers on an AI-powered tool that integrates seamlessly into the development process. Designed to work within the GitHub pipeline, the platform runs continuously as developers write code, offering real-time insights.

It summarizes API pull requests, flags potential weaknesses, and empowers teams to catch exploits early. This capability not only helps address critical bugs swiftly but also allows developers to prioritize and resolve less severe issues before they escalate. Initially tailored for Solidity and Ethereum Virtual Machine compatible projects, Octane has ambitious plans to expand its reach. The team is already eyeing support for Solana and other blockchain networks, signaling a broader vision to secure the industry at large.

The funding milestone underscores confidence in Octane’s potential to redefine blockchain security. Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of Gemini, praised the startup’s leadership and its purpose-built platform. He emphasized the critical need for tools that enable developers and companies to ship safer code, a sentiment echoed by Vignone’s long-term goals.

Beyond merely spotting vulnerabilities, Octane aims to transform how security is embedded in development workflows. Vignone envisions a future where every crypto team has access to an AI-driven security engineer, one trained on millions of exploits and data points, capable of identifying risks and guiding developers through effective solutions. As cybercrime continues to threaten the blockchain space, Octane’s innovative approach could mark a turning point, offering a smarter, more resilient defense against an ever-evolving landscape of threats. With fresh capital and a clear roadmap, the startup is well-positioned to lead this charge.