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World Foundation raises $52.5M to expand World ID proof-of-human network
The WLD tokens sold are locked for 12 months, and World says 39 million people have joined its network with 18 million verified in person.
World Foundation, the nonprofit behind Sam Altman's World, raised $52.5 million in a token sale led by Pantera Capital to expand World ID, its “proof of human” network, Decrypt reports. The sale is described as a one-year locked token offering, with the WLD sold locked for 12 months.
Pantera Capital was joined by Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, and Susquehanna Crypto. The Foundation said it will use the proceeds to bring World ID to organizations, consumers, and their AI agents, as it argues identity verification will become more critical as AI systems increasingly interact online.
World ID is built around a one-time iris scan at its Orb device that generates an ID stored on a user's phone, without revealing a person's identity. The Foundation said 39 million people have joined the network, 18 million have been verified in person, and it has processed 475 million ID proofs.
The raise comes as the project faces regulatory scrutiny over biometric data handling, with prior actions including Hong Kong ordering it to cease operations in 2024, a Kenyan court ordering deletion of biometric data, and Brazil banning it from paying people for iris scans. Decrypt also notes Spain moved to halt data collection and South Korea fined the project $830,000 for privacy violations.