Sam Altman’s Worldcoin Project Raises $135M to Expand U.S. Presence

Sam Altman’s blockchain initiative, Worldcoin, has raised $135 million in a private token sale of its native cryptocurrency, WLD. The funding round was led by prominent venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Bain Capital Crypto. The capital will support the expansion of the World Network and its unique identity verification technology across the U.S. and globally.

Worldcoin's WLD token surged 14% following the announcement, reflecting increased investor confidence. According to the project's team, World Assets, Ltd.—a subsidiary of the World Foundation—sold the tokens at market prices to the two backers. This move has increased WLD’s circulating supply and will be used to scale operations in response to growing demand for Orb-verified World IDs.

Launched in July 2023, the WLD token currently holds a market cap of $1.87 billion and has gained 55% over the past month, although it still trades about 75% below its all-time high.

The World Network’s core product, the Orb—a spherical biometric device that scans users’ irises to verify their identity—was recently made available to U.S. users for the first time. Once verified, users gain access to the World App and receive an airdrop of WLD tokens, which can be spent within the platform’s ecosystem of mini-apps.

Altman’s goal is ambitious: to provide access to Orbs for over 180 million Americans—more than half of the U.S. population—by the end of 2025. With regulatory clarity improving and interest in digital identity and decentralized apps growing, Worldcoin appears poised for broader adoption.

This development positions Worldcoin as a leading player in the intersection of AI, blockchain, and identity verification, backed by major VCs and growing market momentum.