Dan Ives’ Investment Company Wants in on AI Security. The Stock Is Rising.

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives is the chairman of tech investment company Eightco. (Courtesy Zito Partners)

Key Points

• Eightco Holdings’ shares rose 24% to $10.50 after announcing an AI authentication pilot program for enterprises.
• The company, formerly Cryptyde, has shifted business models multiple times and recently appointed Dan Ives as chairman.
• The new program aims to address identity and verification challenges in AI, focusing on scalable human-proof authentication.

Shares of Eightco Holdings rose sharply Friday after the technology investment company announced a pilot program to advance artificial-intelligence authentication for enterprises.

Eightco stock was up 9.5% to $9.24. Shares have gained roughly 370% over the last 12 months.

Known as Cryptyde until 2023, Eightco has switched business models multiple times in the last few years. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, a well-known name in tech investing, became chairman last month, as the company launched a plan to accumulate the cryptocurrency Worldcoin.

Eightco’s latest focus: AI cybersecurity.

“With trillions of dollars being invested in AI, the lack of scalable human-proof authentication has become a critical enterprise challenge,” Ives said Friday. “Our new program will help companies analyze single sign-on capabilities and verification pathways across this expanding digital landscape.”

Eightco said the initiative will develop approaches to address identity and verification challenges brought about by the expansion of AI. It didn’t provide further details.

Eightco’s surge came on a day when tech stocks tumbled after President Donald Trump threatened to hike tariffs on China in response to Beijing’s expansion of expanding export controls for much of its rare-earth supply chain. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 2.5%.

Write to Nate Wolf at nate.wolf@barrons.com