Vana Academy
Who should apply?
- Web3 builders exploring how to tokenize and govern user-owned data via DataDAOs
- Data scientists looking to commercialize data with new ownership and monetization models
- AI developers interested in building with consented, private datasets for human-aligned AI
- Founders passionate about data sovereignty and collective value creation in the AI economy
Applications Open Now
program overview
Vana Academy is a 9-week program designed to help Data Innovators build successful businesses using the Vana protocol.
Participants will:
- Learn how data sovereignty unlocks new market opportunities for data enterprises
- Learn how to source and commercialize high-value, user-owned datasets
- Receive mentorship and technical support from Vana engineers and core contributors
- Present their projects to potential investors and ecosystem leaders
- Be eligible for milestone rewards and and future grants
Weeks 1-4
Learning Phase
- The Vana stack and ecosystem
- Designing a DataDAO
- Proof of Contribution (PoC) models
- Token design and contributor incentives
Week 5
Proof Phase
- Teams submit MVP drafts
- Selected teams can qualify for up to $5K in milestone-based rewards following evaluation.
Weeks 6-8
GTM Phase
- Tokenomics
- Scaling data contributor participation
- Token design and contributor incentives
Week 9
Final Pitch
- Present to investors and Vana ecosystem leaders
- Selected teams will be eligible for additional grants and ecosystem support
Applications open until May 26th
A DataDAO is a collective where users contribute their data into a shared dataset that is governed and monetized collectively. Think of it as a cooperative for data—built on-chain, Read more here.
Refer to the Vana Docs for a step-by-step guide, including boilerplate contracts, best practices for token design, and contributor onboarding.
No. We welcome both existing dataset holders and those planning to collect data during the program.
Teams that pass evaluation in Week 5 will receive up to $5k worth of USDT to support project development.
Evaluation is based on project scope, technical feasibility, contributor strategy, and dataset uniqueness.
Yes! This is the first of many. If you’re not ready now, stay tuned for future rounds.
Join the Vana Builder Community on Discord to connect with the Vana Academy team and explore ideas with fellow Data Innovators