The $250 million secured by Avalanche Foundation will be used to advance its Avalanche9000 upgrade to revolutionize blockchain scalability and adoption.
Significant Fundraising Amid Industry Recovery
The Avalanche Foundation has raised $250 million through a private token sale of its native cryptocurrency, AVAX. The funding round, led by Galaxy Digital, Dragonfly, and ParaFi Capital, saw participation from more than 40 investors. This marks one of the most significant fundraising events in the cryptocurrency sector since the market downturn of 2022, second only to Ava Labs’ $350 million raise last year.
This funding reinforces the foundation’s robust financial standing, with AVAX tokens worth approximately $3 billion already under its control. The proceeds are expected to accelerate the foundation’s efforts to enhance blockchain scalability and drive adoption.
Preparing for the Avalanche9000 Upgrade
The Avalanche9000 network upgrade, scheduled for December 16, is a transformative step in the platform’s evolution. By introducing a subscription model for validators, the upgrade aims to reduce upfront costs from 2,000 AVAX to a monthly fee of 1.33 AVAX. This change is designed to lower the barrier to entry for validators, potentially increasing network participation and decentralization.
The upgrade will also transition Avalanche into a network of interconnected Layer 1 (L1) blockchains linked through a primary chain. This architecture aims to address liquidity silos by enabling interchain messaging for seamless capital and transaction sharing. Over 500 L1 blockchains are currently in development, spanning applications such as tokenization, gaming, payments, and institutional programs.
Boosting Adoption with Retroactive Incentives
The foundation has introduced the Retro9,000 program to encourage ecosystem development, allocating $40 million in retroactive grants. This allocation includes up to $2 million in referral incentives aimed at attracting innovative projects and developers to the platform. Gaming projects like *Off the Grid* and *Shrapnel* have already integrated Avalanche’s blockchain technology, showcasing its utility in Web3 applications.
Competitive Landscape and Investor Confidence
Avalanche’s focus on scalability and cost-efficiency aligns with broader trends in blockchain innovation, where platforms like Ethereum and Polkadot are also pushing for interoperability and lower transaction costs. However, Avalanche9000’s unique design could give it an edge in addressing liquidity and usability challenges.
Galaxy Capital’s Global Head of Trading, Jason Urban, emphasized the strategic importance of this initiative, saying,
“We are providing Avalanche with the strategic resources and services needed to foster institutional participation and long-term growth, ensuring they can lead the next wave of blockchain adoption with Avalanche9000.”
AVAX Performance and Future Outlook
The announcement has positively impacted AVAX’s market performance, with the token rising over 10% in the last 24 hours to $52.30. According to CoinGecko, with a market capitalization of $21 billion, AVAX is the 12th largest cryptocurrency.
Dragonfly Managing Partner Haseeb Qureshi spoke positively about the way forward for AVAX and the upcoming upgrade, stating,
“Avalanche’s upcoming Avalanche9,000 upgrade represents a pivotal step toward advancing the decentralized finance ecosystem. We believe Avalanche is uniquely positioned to capture the growing momentum in Web3 and blockchain scalability.”
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
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