Sophon, a groundbreaking zkSync "hyperchain" poised to revolutionize Layer 2 scaling solutions, has successfully raised approximately $60 million through a strategic node sale. This funding milestone underscores the immense potential of Sophon's innovative approach to blockchain infrastructure, built upon Matter Labs' cutting-edge ZK Stack framework.

The node sale offered 200,000 nodes for acquisition, featuring a tiered pricing model ranging from 0.0813 ETH to 2.0556 ETH per node. Despite this wide spectrum, investors eagerly purchased 121,000 nodes, culminating in a staggering $60 million in wrapped ether (wETH) raised by Sophon.

Sebastien ("Seb"), one of Sophon's co-founders and former head of DeFi at zkSync, revealed that the sale attracted significant participation from a diverse array of investors. Notable backers included Maven 11, Paper Ventures, Spartan Group, and SevenX Ventures, all of whom previously supported Sophon's $10 million seed round earlier in the year. Additionally, various launchpads and syndicates such as Impossible Finance, ICO Drops, and Holdstation played pivotal roles in facilitating public participation in the node sale.

Of the $60 million raised, approximately $45 million originated from private investors, with the remaining $15 million contributed by retail investors. This innovative fundraising model underscores the growing trend of node sales within the blockchain ecosystem, empowering communities to access project tokens at discounted rates and participate in token airdrops.

As Sophon gears up for its highly anticipated network launch in the coming months, node license holders will play a pivotal role in the platform's ecosystem. With the ability to delegate their licenses to Sophon and earn a share of network fees, node holders will be integral to the platform's operation and growth trajectory.

Moreover, Sophon has allocated 20% of its token supply (SOPH) for distribution among node license holders over the initial 36 months following the mainnet launch. To signify their participation, node purchasers have received ERC-721 NFTs representing their licenses, symbolizing their early support and commitment to Sophon's mission.

Looking ahead, Sophon envisions a future where decentralized consensus mechanisms drive the platform's operation, potentially requiring node licenses for network participation. With its innovative approach to scalability and decentralization, Sophon is poised to reshape the landscape of blockchain infrastructure and usher in a new era of decentralized computing.