Digital advertising startup EarnOS has raised a total of $18.5 million in funding, combining a $6 million pre-Series A round and a $12.5 million strategic investment, as it officially launches its verified rewards application ero in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
The $6 million round was led by 1kx, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Circle Ventures, and Social Graph Ventures. Additionally, Verona, a layer-1 blockchain formerly known as XION, provided a non-dilutive $12.5 million investment over four years. The application, available on the App Store and Google Play, aims to solve the persistent issue of bots and fake traffic, which EarnOS claims cause brands to lose over $100 billion annually.
At the core of ero is zkTLS technology, which verifies user identity and online actions without storing sensitive personal data. This privacy-preserving approach allows brands to pay only for verified, real-human actions, while consumers earn rewards that can be converted into real spending power through non-custodial wallets (courtesy of Turnkey) and card infrastructure from Rain. The launch is backed by over $30 million in annualized reward commitments from major brands like Uber, Nike, Lacoste, and The North Face, spanning retail, streaming, transportation, and consumer finance.
To drive expansion, EarnOS appointed former Uber Eats growth director Harrison Kennedy as Head of Growth Strategy and Expansion. The company plans to enter additional international markets later this year, positioning ero as a tool that bridges verified user engagement with brand spending while maintaining privacy.
