Impact of Verifier Node Sales: Top-10 Projects Setting New Benchmarks

Node sales is a relatively new concept but it has quickly become a preferred fundraising method for web3 and crypto projects. However, node sale is not only helping these projects raise significant capital but also achieving higher levels of decentralization, building strong communities, and ensuring the security of their networks. In this article, we explore ten standout projects from 2024 that have successfully set new benchmarks through the verifier node sale mechanism. We’ve curated this list based on the amount of funding raised from node license sales, verified through leading analytics platforms such as Dune Analytics, CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko, Dunedrop, and more.

What Projects Should Launch Verifier Node Sales?

Verifier node sales are particularly suited for blockchain networks aiming to enhance their security and decentralization. These nodes are crucial for networks like optimistic rollups, which rely on fraud proofs and dispute time delay (DTD) for security. With verifier nodes, these networks gain an additional layer of oversight, ensuring that honest actors oversee the entire ecosystem, thus maintaining the network’s integrity. While optimistic rollups are the primary candidates for verifier node sales, zk-rollups can also benefit from this mechanism, as they can use verifier nodes to further secure their operations.

Verifier node sales are ideal for various types of projects, including DeFi platforms, gaming chains, blockchain infrastructure providers, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), industry-specific projects, and web3-focused investors. Each project may have its unique name for verifier nodes, such as checker nodes or sentry nodes. For instance, Zeeve refers to its verifier nodes as Sentinel nodes.

Top-10 Projects Setting New Benchmarks in Verifier Node Sales in 2024

2024 has seen a surge in node sales, with different projects leveraging this trend for various purposes, such as raising funds or building a highly secure network ecosystem. Below are ten projects that have excelled in this domain, listed based on the funds they have raised:

Aethir

Category: DePIN

Funds Raised: $153.8M

Aethir, an Arbitrum-based Layer 2 offering on-demand GPU cloud infrastructure, has set a high bar with its successful node sales. The project raised $153.8 million by selling over 70,000 checker node licenses. These node sales have decentralized the control of Aethir’s GPU DePIN network, as the node buyers now contribute to the network’s security and reliability. In return, Aethir offers 10% of its total token supply over four years, along with a 5% bonus. The impact of the verifier node sale on Aethir’s growth is evident, with its fully diluted value (FDV) surpassing $3 billion.

Sophon

Category: Consumer Layer

Funds Raised: $63.26M

Sophon, an entertainment-focused ZKsync Hyperchain, raised $63.26 million through the sale of 123,554 network nodes. The majority of these nodes were purchased by venture capital firms, and the ownership is represented through ERC721 tokens or NFTs. The node sale has driven Sophon’s FDV from $130 million to an impressive $3 billion. Node operators are entitled to receive rewards for their participation in the network’s consensus, with 20% of the total token supply allocated for this purpose.

XAI Blockchain

Category: Gaming

Funds Raised: $48.1M

XAI, a gaming-dedicated Arbitrum Layer 3, raised $48.1 million by selling 35,171 sentry or checker nodes. This success has pushed XAI’s FDV to $338.72 million. XAI’s node sale strategy, which was detailed in a previous article, has helped the project achieve new levels of transparency and decentralization, with checker nodes playing a crucial role in the network’s validation.

CARV Protocol

Category: Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)

Funds Raised: $35.30M

CARV, a modular data layer for Gaming and AI, raised $35.30 million by selling 38,958 verifier nodes. These nodes contribute to the protocol’s integrity by ensuring the security and trustworthiness of CARV’s operations. The project has allocated 25% of its total token supply for node operators, further incentivizing participation.

Hychain

Category: Gaming

Funds Raised: $8.25M

Hychain, an Arbitrum Layer 2 owned by popular gaming platforms like Hytopia, raised over $8 million through a public node sale. The project has sold 17,372 nodes so far, with a goal of selling 50,000 nodes. Following the successful sale, Hychain’s FDV has reached $119 billion. Node buyers are entitled to a share of 25% in the transaction fees.

Powerloom

Decentralized Data

Funds Raised: $3.30M

Powerloom, a new and innovative OP rollup chain, raised $3.30 million by selling 5,050 checker nodes. The project, which aggregates on-chain and off-chain data for dApps, has attracted over 8,800 backers, including major ventures like Blockchain Capital and CMS Holdings. Powerloom’s FDV has grown to approximately $30 million.

AlienX Chain

Category: Gaming

Funds Raised: $2.76M

AlienX Chain, a high-performance Arbitrum Orbit Layer 2 driven by AI technology, raised $2.76 million from the sale of over 20,000 AI nodes. The sale was completed within three days of launch, with participation value exceeding $20 million. AlienX plans to sell a total of 50,000 AI nodes, with rewards distributed in $AIX tokens.

Rivalz Network

Category: DePIN

Funds Raised: $1.40M

Rivalz Network, a modular optimistic rollup Layer 2 supporting P2P node infrastructure, raised $1.40 million through multiple rounds of node sales. The project’s FDV has reached $23.94 million, with 20% of the $RIZ token supply allocated for rewards.

KIP Protocol

Category: Decentralized Base Layer

Funds Raised: $50.08K

KIP Protocol, an Ethereum-based chain for AI knowledge assets, raised $50.08K from the sale of 400 checker nodes in just two hours. The project’s checker node sale has helped it onboard high-level clients and form strategic partnerships with industry giants like Masa and Rido.

Wirex Pay

Category: Payments

Funds Raised: Upcoming

Wirex Pay, a decentralized payment network powered by zero-knowledge (ZK) technology, has announced an upcoming public sale of node licenses. The sale will involve 100,000 node licenses, with 20% of the network’s token supply allocated for rewards. The sale is expected to significantly enhance Wirex Pay’s network security and integrity.

How Zeeve is Simplifying the Node Sale Mechanism?

Zeeve has named its verifier nodes “Sentinel nodes,” which perform the same role as checker or verifier nodes in other networks. Zeeve offers a specialized node sale infrastructure-as-a-service that web3 Layer 2/3 chains can use to integrate verifier node layers into their ecosystem. This service simplifies the entire process of implementing Sentinel nodes, ensuring that networks can achieve the desired level of decentralization and security without the technical complexities typically involved.

While optimistic rollups are the primary users of verifier nodes, ZK chains can also leverage this mechanism to ensure robust network security. Zeeve offers a delegation layer within the data availability committee (DAC) for ZK chains, allowing them to closely monitor their networks and maintain 100% reliability.

Zeeve also provides end-to-end support for node sales and verifier node implementation, including strategic partnerships with popular launchpads like Seedify, Impossible Finance, ChainGPT, Trustpad, and BSC Pad. This comprehensive support ensures that projects have everything they need to successfully launch and manage their node sales.

Wrapping up!

Verifier node sales have emerged as a powerful tool for web3 and crypto projects to raise funds, build communities, and enhance network security and decentralization. The projects highlighted in this article have set new benchmarks in 2024, demonstrating the potential of this fundraising method. As the trend continues to grow, more projects will likely adopt node sales to achieve their goals, with Zeeve playing a crucial role in simplifying the process.