EarnOS Raises $18.5M to Pay Users for Brand Engagement

George previously founded several consumer-tech companies. The $18.5 million round was led by a group of venture investors focused on the intersection of advertising and blockchain verification, though the company did not disclose the full investor list. The funding arrives as advertisers increasingly question the value of programmatic ad buys, where bot traffic can inflate metrics by 20% or more, according to industry estimates.

EarnOS plans to use the capital to hire engineers, improve the app's fraud-detection systems, and launch in additional markets. The company also intends to build partnerships with brands that want to run campaigns exclusively through verified human interactions. The first version of the Ero app is already live on iOS and Android.

For now, the startup faces the same challenge it tries to solve: convincing users to download yet another rewards app in a crowded space. The difference, George said, is that EarnOS pays for actions that brands already pay for elsewhere, just without the bot waste. The company expects to process its first million user engagements within six months.