The digital identity verification project World (WLD, formerly known as Worldcoin), co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has once again attracted capital attention. The company announced on Wednesday that it successfully raised $135 million from early investors Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Bain Capital Crypto through the sale of its native token WLD.
World stated that this funding will be used to promote the expansion plan of the digital identity verification network 'World Network' in the United States and globally, while also strengthening the infrastructure of the digital identity 'World ID'.
According to official information, over 26 million people have used the World Network to date, with 12.5 million people completing identity verification through the iris scanning device 'Orb' to obtain a 'World ID'.
World stated: 'The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) necessitates that tools to distinguish humans from machines must also keep pace, to help humanity prepare for the era of artificial general intelligence (AGI).'
This fundraising is an extension of World’s long-term mission, supported by builders who have consistently backed World’s vision since our inception. We expect that the World Network will become one of the first protocols to achieve self-sustainability.
Earlier this year, World announced its entry into the U.S. market, initially selecting six major cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco for deployment. Local users can visit physical locations for iris scans to complete their World ID registration and receive WLD tokens as a reward for verifying their 'human identity'.
World developer 'Tools for Humanity' completed a $115 million Series C funding round in May 2023, led by Blockchain Capital, with participation from institutions such as a16z crypto, Bain Capital Crypto, and Distributed Global. World initially launched under the name 'Worldcoin' and introduced the WLD token in July 2023.
