Arthur Hayes Makes Major Wager on the Transformation of Science Through AI

Bio Protocol, a decentralized science (DeSci) platform, has closed a $6.9 million seed round led by Arthur Hayes’ Maelstrom Fund. Other notable investors in this round include Mechanism Capital, Animoca Brands, Zee Prime Capital, Panga Capital, Mirana Ventures, Foresight Ventures, and Big Brain Holdings. The capital raise comes shortly after Bio Protocol rolled out its Bio V2 platform, which aims to spark the growth of onchain “scientific superintelligence” by leveraging AI-centric tools.

As a DeSci platform, Bio Protocol gives scientists the ability to turn their research into autonomous AI agents known as BioAgents. These agents are designed to enhance the scientific process by lowering expenses and speeding up discoveries, while also enabling researchers to secure funding through token sales. Utilizing blockchain, the platform opens up research funding, encourages transparent data sharing, and allows scientists to be rewarded directly through decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), bypassing conventional institutional barriers.

Paul Kohlhaas, who founded and leads Bio Protocol, compares the platform’s architecture to that of digital publishing. Just as online platforms allow creators to monetize their work outside traditional channels, Bio Protocol intends to let researchers develop and commercialize scientific breakthroughs beyond the traditional pharmaceutical industry. Arthur Hayes, Maelstrom’s founder and CIO, has shared his belief that Bio Protocol could become a “category-defining launchpad” for community-powered scientific inquiry. Hayes sees the project as a potential catalyst for an AI-driven research marketplace.

The first BioAgent, Aubrai—created in collaboration with VitaDAO and longevity expert Dr. Aubrey de Grey—has already generated over 1,000 scientific hypotheses onchain and attracted $250,000 in research funding. Since its debut, Aubrai’s native token (AUBRAI) surged 150 times in value, peaking at around $40 million. Meanwhile, the platform’s primary BIO token is valued at about $0.16 and has a market cap close to $309 million.

Bio V2 introduced a suite of new features, such as the “Ignition Sales” model, which enables quick and small-scale fundraising for emerging BioAgents, tokenized IP, and BioDAOs. Users can collect BioXP points by staking, contributing to research, and engaging with the platform, unlocking access to Ignition Sales. BioXP points are also available for those who stake BIO or other ecosystem tokens, supporting both liquidity and sustained involvement in DeSci initiatives.

In the near future, additional BioAgents and IP tokens spanning fields like dermatology, microbiome science, brain health, and men’s health are slated to debut on Bio V2. The Bio Protocol ecosystem also features projects working toward clinical achievements, including VITA-FAST—a longevity initiative preparing for Phase 2 trials in the UAE; Percepta (CLAW), a patented brain health supplement beginning human testing; and Curetopia (CURES), a pilot program focused on rare disease treatment approaches.

Since last year, Bio Protocol’s platform has allocated over $50 million to research laboratories worldwide. With the new seed investment, the initiative plans to broaden its BioAgent framework internationally, aiming to establish a decentralized network of AI-driven “science machines” that could reduce drug development timelines from decades to just months.

This investment round highlights increasing institutional faith in the DeSci field, which has attracted a cumulative $896 million in funding to date. Arthur Hayes, who advocated for “risk-takers” to back DeSci efforts in a January blog post, regards Bio Protocol as a pivotal force in this sector.

The DeSci movement aspires to leverage blockchain to build a research ecosystem that is more accessible, transparent, and cost-effective. By bringing together AI,

, and crypto on a decentralized platform, Bio Protocol’s CEO foresees a future where drug discovery is dramatically accelerated.