2025-11-05
EXCLUSIVE: Teenage Millionaires Could Emerge From AI Agents Because 'AI Doesn't Have To Belong To Big Tech,' Olas Founder Tells Benzinga
David Minarsch didn’t want to build another centralized AI platform. He watched the same infrastructure patterns repeat themselves across tech’s landscape: first came the dominance of a few massive companies, then came the creators who built on those platforms only to discover they’d built on someone else’s land.Today, the Olas founder is solving that problem at the intersection of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. Through Pearl, his consumer-facing AI agent application, Minarsch is enabling everyday users to build, own, and profit from their own autonomous agents.What started as academic research into multi-agent systems has evolved into a movement toward what Minarsch calls “true ownership” in the digital world.The connection to Roblox (NYSE:RBLX) provides the clearest window into Minarsch’s philosophy. Just as the game development platform created millionaires from teenage coders without formal technical training, Pearl aims to democratize AI agent creation for anyone with an idea.Don't Miss:Accredited Investors Can Now Tap Into the $36 Trillion Home Equity Market — Without Buying a Single PropertyFrom Moxy Hotels to $12B in Real Estate — The Firm Behind NYC's Trendiest Properties Is Letting Individual Investors In."When people realize that AI doesn't have to belong to Big Tech, but can belong to them, that's when ‘decentralized ownership’ stops sounding abstract and starts feeling personal," Minarsch told Benzinga.David Minarsch Draws Inspiration From Roblox To Build A User-Owned AI EcosystemMinarsch points to Roblox as proof that open access can turn ordinary users into builders. The platform's success reinforced his conviction that accessibility and ownership can redefine how technology ecosystems grow.The contrast between Roblox and what Olas is building comes down to control. Roblox owns the network, while Olas distributes it.“Our goal with Pearl is similar and more ambitious, still,” Minarsch told Benzinga. “Like Roblox, we're focused on making creation accessible to everyone — but instead of virtual worlds, it's the world of AI agents.”That goal guided every design decision behind Pearl, Olas' consumer-facing app. The product keeps the simplicity of Web2 while removing the friction that often deters newcomers from cryptocurrency-based tools. On Pearl, users can skip wallets, bridging, and token swaps entirely.“Users can simply use their debit/credit cards to fund their agents, sign in through familiar social logins, and use natural language to instruct their agent with their goals using their own words, rather than crypto jargon,” Minarsch said.The approach has already produced tangible results, Minarsch told Benzinga. Early beta participants have built personalized portfolio-management agents by customizing general blueprints through conversation.To expand that momentum, Olas introduced a $1 million Accelerator program funded in USD Coin, designed to support emerging "supercreators" developing new agent templates across finance, entertainment, and lifestyle.Unexpected Uses For AI Ownership On OlasFew things surprise Minarsch anymore when it comes to what builders create when freed from centralized constraints. Two projects supported through the Olas Accelerator capture just how broad that creative range can be, Minarsch said.The first, called Cupid Agent, blends matchmaking with coaching. Built by graduate students at Imperial College London, it learns about users through natural conversation and their digital footprint, then suggests compatible matches through AI-driven dialogue.The second project, PettAI, explores gaming instead of relationships. The companion agent manages digital pets in virtual worlds, automating repetitive actions like feeding and resting so players can focus on gameplay."Both the Cupid and PettAI use cases target entirely different audiences but share a core principle: solving real human needs through user-owned AI," Minarsch told Benzinga.The Olas Accelerator supports up to 10 development teams with grants reaching $100,000 each. The selection process focuses on identifying builders capable of identifying real user problems and solving them effectively.Minarsch said he ...Full story available on Benzinga.com
