Fresh off a $10 million fundraise, Harry Dewhirst of 375ai breaks down their strategy for digitizing the physical world, creating a high-value data economy, and building on Solana, the home of DePIN. This isn't about blanketing the globe with sensors; it's about surgical precision and turning real-world activity into actionable intelligence.
Digitizing the Real World
- “What we're doing is digitizing the analog and turning the real world into digital information. We compress a terabyte of raw video into 30 megabytes of data at each site.”
375ai deploys two types of sensors. The 375 Edge is a $50,000 "mini data center" with advanced cameras and NVIDIA GPUs that analyzes vehicle traffic. It captures granular details like vehicle make, occupancy, and commercial logos, providing valuable data for financial services to forecast economic performance by tracking fleet movements of companies like FedEx and Amazon. The 375 Go mobile app has over 250,000 users passively mapping radio frequency data (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) to create a real-time map of global connectivity quality.
Strategic Network Scaling
- “We don't need tens of thousands of these. In Los Angeles County, we've deployed 20 devices and we see about 40% of all vehicles that are on the road in any given day.”
Unlike DePIN projects focused on sheer coverage, 375ai prioritizes strategic placement. This capital-efficient model achieves critical mass with a small number of high-impact devices. To accelerate growth, the upcoming "375X" feature will allow anyone to connect existing cameras to the network, opening the door for massive supply-side expansion. The team is also exploring fractionalizing the expensive Edge nodes, allowing community members to own a slice of a node's output.
Tapping Demand and Driving Token Value
- “The vast majority of revenue that we bring in from data sales will go to accruing value to the token in the form of buy and burn—80%, so a very large slug.”
375ai’s go-to-market strategy bypasses the need for a large sales team by partnering with established Data Management Platforms (DMPs). They are finalizing their first deal with a data exchange whose enterprise clients include McDonald's, Spotify, and American Express. This provides immediate access to existing demand channels. Critically, 80% of all data sales revenue will be used to buy and burn the EAT token, directly linking the network's commercial success to token value.
Key Takeaways:
- Surgical Precision Over Brute Force: 375ai’s model proves that DePIN isn’t just about network size. Strategic placement of high-power hardware can deliver more valuable data with a fraction of the infrastructure.
- Go Where the Money Is: Instead of building a demand side from scratch, 375ai is plugging directly into existing data marketplaces, giving them instant access to enterprise giants and a clear path to revenue.
- Revenue Directly Fuels the Token: The 80% buy-and-burn mechanism is a powerful flywheel. As data sales grow, so does the direct value accrual to EAT token holders, creating one of the most direct links between utility and tokenomics in the space.
For further insights, watch the full discussion here: Link
This episode details 375ai's strategy for digitizing the physical world, revealing how its high-end sensor network and capital-efficient sales model are designed to generate real-world revenue that directly fuels its token economy.
Fundraising Momentum and Pre-TGE Growth
- Harry Dewhirst kicks off by detailing 375ai's recent fundraising success, which provides a strong foundation ahead of its public launch. The company secured a $10 million round led by prominent VCs including Deli, Strobe, and Hack, with participation from Arca and others, signaling significant institutional confidence in their vision.
- Following this, 375ai completed an oversubscribed $2 million community round on CoinList, even amidst a market downturn. This round successfully onboarded approximately 1,500 new community members as token holders. This momentum leads directly into the project's TGE (Token Generation Event), the official launch of a project's cryptocurrency, which is scheduled to occur within weeks of the recording.
- $10M Institutional Round: Led by Deli, Strobe, and Hack.
- $2M Community Round: Oversubscribed on CoinList, adding ~1,500 new token holders.
- Upcoming Launch: The EAT token launch is imminent, marking a critical milestone for the project.
The Two-Pronged Data Collection Network
- Harry outlines the core hardware infrastructure powering the 375ai network, which consists of two distinct sensor types designed to capture different forms of real-world data. His explanation highlights a focus on quality and strategic deployment over sheer quantity.
- 375 Edge: This is an advanced, stationary sensor described as a "mini data center." Each $50,000 unit is equipped with six specialized cameras and powerful NVIDIA GPUs for on-site processing. It digitizes the physical environment by turning a terabyte of raw video into just 30 megabytes of structured data daily. Initial deployments are focused on major US metro areas like Los Angeles, New York, and Miami, capturing granular vehicle data—from make and model to commercial logos and transport numbers—valuable for logistics and financial services.
- 375 Go: A mobile application that functions as the network's smallest sensor. With over 250,000 users from its testnet phase, the app passively collects location data and RF (Radio Frequency) data, such as cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth signals. This helps build a real-time map of wireless network coverage and performance.
“What we're doing is digitizing the analog and turning the real world into digital information. We compress, you know, at each site a terabyte of raw video into 30 megabytes of data.”
Strategic Deployment and Network Scaling
- The conversation shifts to 375ai's unique deployment strategy, which contrasts with many DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) projects that rely on millions of low-cost devices. Harry emphasizes that strategic placement of their high-cost, high-capability Edge devices is far more effective.
- With just 20 Edge devices deployed in Los Angeles County, the network already captures data on approximately 40% of all vehicles on the road daily. This demonstrates the capital efficiency of their model, where fewer, more powerful nodes can achieve critical data mass. To broaden ownership, 375ai is exploring fractionalization, potentially allowing community members to buy a share of a node's data output for as little as $100, breaking down the $50,000 barrier to entry.
- Actionable Insight: Investors should recognize that 375ai's model is not about mass-producing hardware but about optimizing data collection from strategic, high-traffic locations. The success of this approach depends on securing premium deployment sites rather than achieving a high node count.
Future Hardware and Ecosystem Expansion
- Looking ahead, Harry discusses the evolution of the hardware ecosystem, focusing on expanding data ingestion capabilities. The plan for "375 Street" is evolving into "375X," a system designed to integrate existing camera feeds—from doorbell cameras to public surveillance—into the network. This "bring your own device" model would allow 375ai to apply its computer vision AI to third-party video streams, massively scaling data input without deploying new hardware.
- The "375 Vault" concept, a decentralized storage solution, is planned for early next year. Recognizing the immense storage and compute requirements, Harry notes they are actively exploring partnerships with other DePIN projects specializing in these areas, preferring to focus 375ai's core competency on data capture and processing.
- Strategic Implication: The shift towards integrating existing cameras (brownfield deployments) is a major potential growth vector. Researchers should monitor developments around 375X, as it could dramatically accelerate the network's data acquisition capabilities and overall market reach.
Demand-Side Strategy: Partnering with Data Platforms
- Harry provides a clear overview of 375ai's go-to-market strategy, which leverages existing data marketplaces to accelerate customer acquisition. Instead of building a large, costly sales team to target end-users directly, 375ai is partnering with DMPs (Data Management Platforms). These platforms already serve thousands of enterprise clients like McDonald's, Spotify, and American Express, who use them to acquire and manage third-party datasets.
- By integrating with these DMPs, 375ai gains immediate access to a massive, established customer base. Harry, drawing from his prior experience in the data industry, confirms this is a proven and highly efficient channel for scaling data sales. The first major partnership with one such data exchange is signed and will be announced shortly.
- Investor Takeaway: This B2B partnership model significantly de-risks the demand side of the equation. The announcement of DMP partnerships should be treated as a key performance indicator, as it directly translates to revenue potential for the network.
The EAT Token Economy and Value Accrual
- A critical component for investors is the EAT token's role in the ecosystem. Harry confirms a direct and powerful value accrual mechanism: a significant majority of the revenue generated from data sales is committed to benefiting the token.
- Buy and Burn: 80% of all data sales revenue will be used to buy EAT tokens from the open market and permanently remove them from circulation (burn). This mechanism directly links network success to token value by reducing supply as revenue grows.
- Community Rewards: 40% of the total EAT token supply is allocated to the community, distributed over an 8-year period to reward network participants and contributors.
Building on Solana and DePIN Collaboration
- Harry expresses strong confidence in building on Solana, describing it as "the home of DePIN." He highlights the Solana Foundation's dedicated resources and focus on the sector, which provides significant support and visibility for projects like 375ai.
- He also emphasizes the collaborative nature of the DePIN ecosystem, noting that founders of different projects are working together to grow the overall market. This cooperative spirit, where "all ships rise" together, is seen as a key advantage for the entire space.
Conclusion
This episode underscores that 375ai's strategy is built on tangible value creation: capturing unique real-world data and channeling the resulting revenue directly into its token. For investors and researchers, the key catalysts to watch are the successful deployment of new Edge nodes and the public announcement of their data marketplace partnerships.
