With 7,000 machine learning engineers contributing models to everything from cancer research to forex pricing, CrunchDAO is one of the most promising platforms in decentralized AI. But back in 2020, when Jean Herelle launched it, there was no ecosystem, no market, and little support. He was a step too far ahead of the curve.
The main problem was that CrunchDAO — a d marketplace for machine learning models — launched before either crypto or AI had scaled. “We started on Ethereum. If you've been there, you know the frustration,” Jean explains. “You want microtransactions on your platform? Forget about it. You want to send someone two bucks a month because they built a great model? You can’t. Transaction fees were just way too high.”
“I was even questioning whether we needed to stay on-chain at all,” he says. “That’s how bad the Ethereum experience was. And I didn’t know any other chain that could handle what we needed. We needed speed. We needed to manage thousands of microtransactions.”
The tech was one problem. Another was the lifestyle of a solo, remote entrepreneur building at a tech frontier. “I was a lonely fighter for many years. I coded everything myself: Solidity, smart contracts, all of it, from a flat in the desert in Abu Dhabi. There was no support for what I was trying to do,” Jean reflects. “It was a lot of pressure, but that had always been my style. Because entrepreneurship is a lonely path. You don’t see your family as much as you’d like. You might break up with your girlfriend. You end up deep in it.”
For Jean and Crunch, moving to Solana changed everything. “Once we dug into Solana, it all clicked. Solana made total sense. Finally, it was feasible. We could go as fast as we needed. We could build what we envisioned. We also got massive support from the ecosystem — especially from the technical team. That support, that collaboration, had a huge impact. It’s one of the reasons we're here now.”
CrunchDAO doubled down on collaboration by joining Cohort 2 of the Solana Incubator in New York City, where the focus on in-person connection between teams and the broader Web3 ecosystem has accelerated both product and perspective.
"What the Solana Incubator has built here — everyone in the same room, being able to just glance over your shoulder and connect — it’s such a good idea. Being part of the incubator has been amazing. Being able to sit in a space where people are working on the same tech, within the same ecosystem, same energy, same vision — that kind of shared direction helps so much," he says.
"When you're around other entrepreneurs, so many problems get solved quickly. Sometimes we just go for a beer or talk through stuff. That emotional support is a big deal. Being part of a community like this, an entrepreneur community, makes you feel 10 times stronger.”
In addition to the camaraderie of the Solana Incubator, Herelle’s found a more comfortable culture fit in the Solana community. “There’s a real style and vision in Solana. And yeah, maybe a bit of greed too — but it’s the kind I can relate to,” he says. “Every entrepreneur I’ve met in Solana is super hard-working, and I love that. When I was in Ethereum, it was different. You’re just…alone. I didn’t find that same energy, that same support. Honestly, it’s night and day. Solana felt like the first time I could truly be part of an ecosystem.”
In particular, Crunch is at the center of an emerging Solana ecosystem — Decentralized AI — of which Herelle is quickly becoming an ambassador. “Data is literally the oil of the world. Everything is built on it,” he explains. “And now, we’re seeing a problem with large language models: everyone’s got an open-source model, but nobody has an open-source corpus. That’s a huge issue. Data is a big part of the equation.”
“Unlocking the potential of the data we’re already creating — that’s massive. Whether we’re driving our cars on the street for HiveMapper, carrying phones around the city for Helium, or just browsing the internet and calling protocols like Chakra or Grass — we’re generating data all the time. The key is having the right incentives. And finally, we’re seeing models that actually incentivize people to share that data. That’s a super interesting direction.”
Now that Crunch’s tech and community are aligned, the project is putting up some impressive numbers. “We just hit a big milestone with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, working on cancer research,” Jean explains. “The challenge was using computer vision to detect gene expressions from cell images — something traditionally done with super expensive lab equipment. We opened it up to the Crunch community and improved it double digits.”
“That proved our thesis: multidisciplinary networks outperform small internal teams—even on advanced problems.”
With its machine learning engine now humming, Crunch is rolling out its first full product: a decentralized pricing engine for the forex and OTC markets. The system monitors 150 currencies to generate mid-market execution prices in what remains one of the world’s largest and most data-intensive financial markets.
On the infrastructure side, the transition from Ethereum to Solana has unlocked a path toward true decentralization. “Crunch is currently in testnet, but the infrastructure is ready to make Crunch a fully permissionless, robust, and unstoppable protocol. That includes protecting contributor IP through trusted execution environments, so code can be run securely without being exposed.”
“We’re working to integrate decentralized compute partners to reduce costs, and expanding our marketplace of privacy-preserving tools like MPC and homomorphic encryption. Whether users want centralized compute, decentralized, or specialized privacy methods — they’ll be able to plug them into Crunch seamlessly.”
The move to Solana and the support of the Solana Incubator gave CrunchDAO and founder Jean Herelle the momentum to shift into high gear in pursuit of decentralized AI. From coding solo on Ethereum to scaling a global ML collective on Solana, CrunchDAO is what happens when vision meets infrastructure meets community, and a reminder that being a founder doesn’t have to be lonely.
Learn more about CrunchDAO, and follow Jean Herelle on X.
Learn more about the Solana Incubator, or follow @Incubator on X.