Worldcoin’s parent entity, the nonprofit World Foundation, has injected fresh momentum into its biometric-identity project after selling $135 million worth of liquid WLD tokens at spot price to two of its earliest backers, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Bain Capital Crypto. The direct purchase—explicitly “not a venture round… a direct purchase of non-discounted liquid tokens,” according to the foundation—adds the same amount of WLD to circulating supply and leaves no lock-ups or preferential terms on the table. Worldcoin Rakes In $135 Million The sale is meant to bankroll a rapid expansion of Worldcoin’s iris-scanning “Orb” hardware in the United States—still the project’s toughest regulatory theater—and to keep pace with surging demand abroad. “To date, more than 26 million users participate in the World network and more than 12.5 million people have an Orb-verified World ID,” the foundation said in its press release, adding that the capital will help the network become “one of the first self-sustaining protocols.” Related Reading: Worldcoin (WLD) About To Breakout? Analyst Sets Next Target After 4-Month High Andreessen Horowitz’s participation is consistent with its early role in the project. The venture firm was a lead investor in Tools for Humanity—the company that incubated Worldcoin—during its 2021 Series A, making it a foundational backer of the ecosystem even before the World Foundation was established. Market observers were struck by the size and terms of the buy. Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan noted on X that “a16z and Bain just bought $135 m of Worldcoin (WLD) at the current market price … a price that is down 90% over the past 14 months. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen something like that. Intriguing tbh.” When a user suggested the purchase might simply be a “look at this thing that Sam Altman is involved with that’s so cheap,” Hougan replied, “yes, could be.” Worldcoin casts its “proof-of-personhood” scheme as a necessary counterweight to the acceleration of artificial general intelligence. The foundation insists that identity verification tools “should scale at a similar pace to help prepare humanity for the AGI era,” and says the latest funding will be deployed primarily to manufacture more Orbs, subsidize US city roll-outs, and refine the protocol’s fee model. Related Reading: Worldcoin Rejection At $2.1 Sparks Concerns Of Prolonged Downtrend With venture capital titans effectively doubling down at market price—and doing so after a near-90% drawdown—the trade is being interpreted as a high-conviction signal that the biometric-identity narrative may be poised for a second act. Whether that confidence can overcome regulatory headwinds and lingering privacy concerns will define the next chapter for Sam Altman’s most controversial crypto experiment. WLD Chart Check A weekly chart of WLD/USDT (Binance) shows price rebounding in a V-bottom manner from the low at $0.57—the 0-Fib anchor in the current retracement grid—and pushing into the cluster of moving averages that have capped every rally since the beginning of the year. The 20-week EMA ($1.27) is the immediate hurdle; clearing it would expose the 50-week EMA at $1.87 and then the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement at $3.27.The psychologically weighty $5 region around the 0.382 level could come afterwards. Notably, momentum has brightened: the weekly RSI is curling upwards, while higher volume bars confirm fresh dip-buying interest. Still, the longer-term structure remains decisively bearish so long as price trades beneath the $1.33-$1.41 resistance area. At press time, WLD traded at $1.337. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Funds from the venture capital giants will be used for the network's expansion.
World Foundation Advisor Liam Horne spoke Wednesday at Consensus 2025.
At a Wednesday press conference, World announced it would build an orb factory in Richardardson, Texas.
World's big push to scale involves U.S. rollout, a new Visa card and partnership with Tinder's parent company.
The new feature, a "mini app" accessible via the World App wallet, will offer special features to holders of World Network's digital passport, which lets users scan their iris in exchange for an account that verifies their "proof-of-personhood."
“We are now confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it,” said OpenAI boss Sam Altman.
German regulators demand compliance changes from World ID after a biometric data investigation.
World’s seemingly playful jab at Spotify comes as the firm faces scrutiny.
The rivalry between two respected tech giants continues, which is evident in a congratulatory post that might have reignited the rift between the two former allies in AI tech. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took a swipe at his rival, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, after the latter congratulated David Sacks for being nominated by US President-elect Donald […]
David Sacks’ professed views on OpenAI’s business restructuring seemingly align with Elon Musk’s.
Elon Musk also claimed OpenAI had engaged in “predatory practices” through its partnership with Microsoft, together owning nearly 70% of the generative AI market.
The new digital identity platform, Y, forgoes World Network's controversial biometric authentication for a system based on users' online activities.
The blockchain identity verification company also announced new verification methods.
The artificial intelligence firm is seeking a dismissal of Musk’s lawsuit.
The hackers shilled the fake “OPENAI” token on OpenAI’s press account, a method reminiscent of previous X hacking incidents targeting the firm’s executives in the past.
OpenAI is set to introduce “Strawberry,” a new reasoning-focused AI model that enhances the AI’s ability to “think” before responding. Strawberry is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Safe Superintelligence reportedly raised the funds at a valuation of $5 billion.
The two companies face antitrust probes in the US and EU over their partnership.
The two companies face antitrust probes in the US and EU over their partnership.
Technology commentator Edward Zitron claims OpenAI will need to make several changes to “survive” beyond two years, but some industry executives disagree.
Decentralized identity project Worldcoin has announced that it is extending lock ups for early investors and team members, the project's native token (WLD) rose by 13% after the announcement was published.
Strawberry extends on OpenAI’s Q* project announced in November 2023, which some described as a technical breakthrough allowing for the development of “far more powerful” AI models.
Worldcoin’s WLD token jumped by more than 12% to over $3 the past day after the project scored significant victories in different jurisdictions. Worldcoin is a proof-of-personhood crypto project that has faced scrutiny and controversy worldwide since its launch due to its facial data collection. These challenges have significantly impacted the WLD token, down more than […]
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Illya Sutskever said he’s leaving OpenAI for a “personally meaningful” project, and research director Jakub Pachocki is now taking over the role.
A major ChatGPT upgrade, dubbed GPT Omni, allows the chatbot to interpret video and audio in real-time and speak more convincingly like a human.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hosted hundreds of executives from Fortune 500 companies to pitch AI services to diversify revenue streams and tap into new markets.
Sam Altman’s company will have to freeze its operations in Spain for the next three months.
The news follows OpenAI's Sam Altman declaring to his 2.5 million followers that 2023 is the "crazy year" when AI started being taken seriously.
From ChatGPT to Worldcoin, Sam Altman changed everything in 2023.