Sophon launches mainnet blockchain with $500M in locked value

Sophon has launched its mainnet, introducing the first-ever Validium on the Avail network. It has over $500 million in Total Value Locked (TVL) through the Sophon farming program, and a growing ecosystem of established partners.

Sophon said it is paving the way for scalable, consumer-focused blockchain applications. The launch comes with significant community support: over 120,000 node licenses purchased by more than 5,800 unique participants are now open for claiming.

The SOPH token deploys today in a non-transferable state, with all transactions free for users during this initial phase. Node holders will begin earning rewards from January 1, with full token transferability and trading expected in Q1 2025.

Launch partners driving adoption

Sophon’s consumer-first approach focuses on delivering user experiences that encourage mainstream crypto engagement.

The company is launch partners include industry leaders selected for their ability to bring blockchain benefits to everyday users. They include:

Mirai Labs: Leading mobile gaming studio with 27 million+ onboarded wallets to date

Open Ticketing: Already powering seven million tickets across 24,000 events globally .

Aethir: Delivering next-generation distributed compute solutions.

Rivalry: The publicly listed betting company bringing community ownership to the billion-dollar betting industry. And others include NooN, Brutal Knights, Gamp, and more.

Pioneering consumer-first crypto

Sophon recognizes that mainstream users don’t care about blockchain technology — they care about experiences and value. By focusing on entertainment applications that naturally benefit from blockchain’s capabilities, Sophon is creating an ecosystem where the technology enhances rather than complicates the user experience.

This vision is reinforced through strategic collaborations with industry pioneers, like Beam, which is launching the first gaming-focused fund and accelerator in Abu Dhabi with a target size of $150 million.

Sophon is a strategic partner in this accelerator, supporting the advancement of blockchain-based gaming. Additionally, Sophon has seeded the $40 million Tactical Compute initiative (with Aethir), targeting projects building at the intersection of crypto and AI. These partnerships ensure Sophon is not just building infrastructure – it’s contributing to the growth of the entire ecosystem.

Making big moves

Sophon’s mainnet launch is the first-ever Validium utilizing Avail’s external data availability layer, bringing unmatched scalability, security, and savings. By using Avail’s modular application development stack to create its own Light Nodes, Sophon ensures high performance, maintaining full decentralization and data availability, setting a new standard for modular blockchain designs.

“Sophon embraces the full potential of the Avail Network, illustrating how blockchains can maintain provable decentralization even in high-volume use cases like entertainment,” said Anurag Arjun, cofounder of Avail, in a statement.

This modular architecture doesn’t just set a new standard in blockchain design but also makes Sophon ideal for high-throughput applications looking for mainstream adoption.

“We’re building the future of entertainment onchain,” said Sebastien, CEO of Sophon, in a statement. “Our integration with Avail enables us to deliver the scalability and performance that mainstream applications demand, while maintaining the security and decentralization that blockchain technology promises.”

Sophon wants to be the ultimate platform for next-gen entertainment applications, spanning everything from gaming to AI-powered experiences.

The Avail Network is a modular application development stack designed to establish blockchains as the verification system for the internet.