- The World Foundation raised $52.5 million in a token sale led by Pantera Capital to expand its World ID “proof of human” network.
- Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, and Susquehanna Crypto also participated, with all WLD tokens locked for 12 months.
- World claims 39 million people have joined its network, with 18 million verified in person via its iris-scanning Orb, despite regulatory pushback in multiple countries.
The World Foundation, steward of Sam Altman’s World, raised $52.5 million in a token sale led by Pantera Capital to expand its World ID network, betting that verifying human identity will grow more critical as AI agents flood the internet. The nonprofit announced the raise on Friday, coinciding with the project’s third anniversary.
Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, and Susquehanna Crypto also joined the sale, with all WLD tokens locked for 12 months. Pantera general partner Cosmo Jiang said the “need for Proof of Human is becoming acutely clear” as AI development accelerates.
World ID lets a person prove they are a unique human through a one-time iris scan at a spherical device called the Orb. The technology is being integrated this year with platforms including Zoom, Docusign, and Tinder, alongside a new enterprise-ready release that lets outside developers build their own credentials into the system.
More than 39 million people have joined the network, 18 million have been verified by an Orb, and World has processed 475 million ID proofs. However, the iris-scanning model has drawn regulatory pushback across multiple countries over its handling of biometric data.
Hong Kong ordered it to cease operations in 2024, and a Kenyan court ordered it to delete users’ biometric data. Spain also moved to halt its data collection, and South Korea fined the project $830,000 for privacy violations.
Institutional interest has grown regardless, as Eightco built the first corporate WLD treasury last year. Grayscale also filed for the first U.S. ETF tied to the token this week.
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