EarnOS raises $18.5 million to stop bot traffic

EarnOS raises – EarnOS, a New York startup that pays people to interact with brands online so advertisers can be sure real humans are seeing their content, has raised $18.5 million in funding. The company launched its app, Ero, with rewards delivered in USD stablecoin and pla

On Wednesday, in the middle of a digital economy increasingly crowded by automated traffic, EarnOS pushed out a new app meant to prove something simple: that the person clicking is actually a person.

The New York-based startup behind the “anti-bot” concept launched Ero. where customers can verify they are human and earn rewards for engaging with brand content. Users scroll through Ero’s feed and join challenges that can include physical activities tracked through their fitness app. sharing their data. and clicking on brand content.

Phil George, the startup’s CEO and founder, framed the idea around how online advertising was originally built. “The entirety of advertising online was envisaged at a time where the assumption was that everyone online was a person. ” George said. The problem, he argues, has changed with the rise of AI.

George pointed to a broader shift in how much of website traffic is now automated. This month, Cloudflare, a network service firm, said that website traffic from bots had overtaken human activity for the first time.

EarnOS positions itself as a way to make advertising interactions “verified” and human again. The company says it also wants to build a “verified internet. ” while offering an alternative advertising model to platforms such as Google or Facebook that can rely on clicks and impressions that sometimes include bot activity.

“Think of it as a loyalty program for who you are as a person rather than as a particular brand,” George said.

Brands only pay when someone engages with them. EarnOS. in turn. takes a cut of the brand’s ad spend on the app. with the remainder—up to 75% of every dollar—going to users who complete tasks with brands on the app. Rewards are distributed in the USD stablecoin cryptocurrency. and users can spend those rewards with merchants in dollars via an EarnOS Visa card.

The rollout so far is global in scope. EarnOS said the app has launched in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. It also said it has set a $30 million annualized rewards pool funded by participating brands across industries including ride-hailing, retail, streaming, and consumer finance.

Before the app went live, EarnOS ran a beta test from March 2025 through the end of the year. During that period, the company said it partnered with 152 brands, had 3 million signups, and paid out $50,000 in rewards.

Nike is already in the mix. EarnOS said it is working with brands like Nike, and John Shiel, senior content and engagement manager at Nike Innovation Labs, said: “EarnOS creates an opportunity to make brand interactions fun, participatory, and transparent, and to get away from AI slop.”

The company’s latest milestone is financial as much as it is product. EarnOS raised $18.5 million in funding. Investment firm 1kx led its $6 million round, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Circle Ventures, and Social Graph Ventures. The remaining $12.5 million financing comes from Verona, which EarnOS will get over four years.

George said the company plans to use the funding to expand into new markets later this year as bot activity soars. “I think the internet is going to get worse before it gets better,” he said.

For EarnOS, the pitch deck used to raise the money is part of the story too: an exclusive look at the 24-page pitch deck was provided during the fundraising process, with some commercially sensitive slides omitted.

EarnOS Ero anti-bot verified internet online advertising bot traffic stablecoin USD stablecoin rewards Visa card Nike Innovation Labs 1kx Coinbase Ventures Circle Ventures Social Graph Ventures Verona