You can build the biggest AI brain imaginable, but without enough real-world data, you’re basically giving a genius a PhD and then sending it outside wearing a blindfold. Now @VanGrid is turning everyday smartphones into a distributed 3D data network, making it possible to capture real-world environments on demand instead of relying entirely on traditional datasets. The interesting part is that this data can also carry onchain provenance, creating a clearer trail around where it came from and how it was collected. There’s some serious technical experience behind the project too. CEO Robert Brighton brings a decade of deep-tech and Web3 experience, including work with Microsoft’s Quantum Computing and HoloLens teams. CTO Khalid Benrafik has 14+ years of experience building high-throughput infrastructure, with time at Bookingcom, ING and Mollie. Because if robots are eventually going to escape the lab and survive the beautifully chaotic mess we call the real world, bigger models alone won’t cut it.