AI Browsers Are Headed to Crypto—Donut Labs Just Raised $22 Million to Build It First

AI browsers have gotten the subsequent frontier in how individuals work together with the net—and crypto merchants simply obtained their very own. New York startup Donut Labs introduced on Monday that it has raised $22 million throughout pre-seed and seed rounds to develop what it claims is the primary agentic AI browser that may analysis, analyze, and execute trades autonomously.

Founder and CEO of Donut Labs, Chris Zhu, mentioned that the thought for the Donut browser grew out of frustration with current platforms after his crew’s TikTok-based app was abruptly shut down.

“Browsers haven’t actually modified in 30 years,” Zhu informed Decrypt. “We wished to construct the biggest entrance finish on the web—however try this for crypto.”

That have led Zhu to a broader realization that if AI is changing into the interface for every part on-line, crypto wants a browser constructed for it.



“We noticed indicators that this agentic browser wave was beginning—OpenAI launched Atlas, Perplexity has Comet, and we wished to create one that would really deal with buying and selling,” Zhu defined.

The funding, led by Bitkraft Ventures, Sequoia China, Sky9 Ventures, Matrix Companions, Makers Fund, and Altos Ventures, positions Donut Labs among the many early gamers racing to redefine how AI and crypto merge.

Constructing the Agentic Browser

In accordance with Zhu, Donut’s AI browser is designed to know a consumer’s buying and selling context, synthesize knowledge from a number of sources, and carry out actions throughout exchanges—all inside the browser itself.

Zhu mentioned Donut’s system is structured with layered safety—modeled on the “ranges” utilized in Tesla’s self-driving software program. Duties vary from pure analysis to totally licensed transactions requiring a number of confirmations.

“The rationale immediate injection occurs in different browsers is as a result of they deal with HTML hyperlinks with not sufficient safety,” he defined.

To handle this, Donut processes authorizations on the backend quite than simulating consumer clicks. The corporate additionally companions with key administration agency Turnkey to safeguard non-public keys.

“We really don’t give the agent the flexibility to click on into your different wallets,” Zhu mentioned. “Our pockets backend operates individually so the agent by no means sees your balances.”

How It Works

Behind the scenes, Donut makes use of an “open router” that dynamically selects the correct AI mannequin for every process—from light-weight fashions for token swaps to superior reasoning programs for advanced evaluation. The browser’s brokers draw on liquidity and pricing knowledge from sources like CoinGecko and Pyth, whereas custom-built instruments permit automated execution and analysis.

Zhu mentioned the corporate plans to unveil a full suite of merchandise—a standalone browser, extension, internet app, and cellular app—to cowl “the complete life cycle of your buying and selling profession.”

The Human Factor

Will AI browsers make human merchants out of date? Zhu mentioned the other is extra seemingly:

“Proper now, quants are nice at high-frequency trades,” he mentioned. “However AI browsers know your entire context—they make it simpler so that you can do what you already do, throughout the web.”

He added that AI will finally grow to be a buying and selling equalizer quite than a menace.

“Over a protracted sufficient time horizon, we do need to get to the purpose the place it’s simply me, myself, and my hundred quants,” he mentioned. “However the methods will likely be distinctive to every particular person.”

As AI programs evolve from chatbots to totally autonomous instruments, browsers might grow to be the principle interface for each human and machine exercise on-line. Zhu argues that crypto merchants—accustomed to automation and volatility—will likely be among the many first to embrace that shift.

“Our species is in search of fast progress,” he mentioned. “Selecting AI to assist us get there is likely one of the best methods to evolve.”