Sophon, a zkSync Hyperchain focused on entertainment, has successfully raised $60 million worth of Wrapped Ether (wETH) through its recent node sale. This funding will be used to launch Sophon, an ecosystem centered around artificial intelligence (AI) and gaming. The ecosystem is built as a modular rollup that leverages zero knowledge (ZK) technology and is expected to be launched in the third quarter of 2024.
The $60 million raised through the node sale is considered significant for a new project. This success can be attributed to the demand for reliable infrastructure to support entertainment-focused use cases like gaming and AI. Seb, the co-founder of Sophon, explained that both gaming and AI protocols require robust infrastructure to handle user demand and the large number of microtransactions associated with these use cases.
The node sale offered a total of 200,000 nodes for purchase and was in addition to Sophon’s recent $10 million funding round. The funding round was led by prominent investors, including Paper Ventures and Maven 11, with participation from Spartan, SevenX, and OKX Ventures.
Aside from raising capital, the node sale was also aimed at creating a community of holders who can expect airdrops and other rewards in the future. Airdrops are a popular way to attract new users to early-stage decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. They involve distributing new tokens to early users who have interacted with the protocol.
Sophon plans to use future incentives to build a strong community of builders and enthusiasts, which will help amplify the network effects of projects built on the protocol.
In related news, there are predictions that Solana could surpass Ethereum in transaction fees within a week, according to a recent report.