Key facts
- World Foundation raised $52.5 million in a token sale led by Pantera Capital.
- The funds will expand the World ID 'proof of human' network, using Orb devices for iris scans.
- Over 39 million people have joined the World Network, with 18 million verified by an Orb.
- The project aims to distinguish unique humans from bots and deepfakes amid growing AI concerns.
- The World Foundation previously raised $135 million in its first funding round.
The World Foundation, the nonprofit steward behind Sam Altman's World ID digital identity project, has secured $52.5 million in a new funding round. The capital injection, led by Pantera Capital with participation from Bain Capital Crypto and Eightco Holdings, was raised through a locked token sale to strategic investors.
The funds are earmarked for expanding the World Network's AI-era digital verification infrastructure, specifically integrating its Orb-based "proof of human" technology across enterprise platforms and AI agents. This initiative addresses growing concerns over bots and deepfakes online.
More than 39 million people have joined the World Network, with over 18 million verified by an Orb, and more than 475 million World ID proofs issued. The project, previously known as Worldcoin, aims to establish an identity layer to distinguish unique individuals from automated bots using custom hardware called an Orb.
This latest funding follows a previous round where the World Network raised $135 million in May of last year. Worldcoin (WLD) is currently trading around $0.37 with a market capitalization exceeding $1.3 billion. The World Foundation stated that the investment signifies a shift from building the network to scaling its utility.