World Foundation Raises $52.5 Million to Expand Its World ID Infrastructure as AI Transforms the Internet

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 24, 2026--

World Foundation announced it raised an initial $52.5 million in new funding via a 1-year locked token sale to strategic investors .

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260723247977/en/

Pantera Capital led the first close which also included Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS), Selini Capital, Susquehanna Crypto, and additional investors. Demonstrating investors’ long-term commitment to World’s continued growth and utility, all WLD sold as part of this fundraise is subject to a 12-month lockup.

As AI rapidly transforms the internet, the need for World ID infrastructure is accelerating across consumer platforms, enterprise digital services, and the agentic web. The new capital will be used to bring World ID technology to organizations, consumers, and their AI agents globally.

“The need for Proof of Human is becoming acutely clear with the acceleration of AI development, and we see this in the influx of enterprise traction. We’re excited to continue supporting World’s mission at this inflection point in its growth,” said Cosmo Jiang, Pantera Capital General Partner.

“We’re excited to support World Foundation’s continued growth,” said Tom Lee, Board Member of Eightco (ORBS). “World’s technology and proof of human and variations are among the most important building blocks to secure and verify interactions in an increasingly digital driven world.”

Making the internet more human

As AI agents and agentic tools proliferate, the internet, and the multibillion-dollar industries that depend on it, will need a reliable way to distinguish humans from machines. Without it, advertising models built on genuine views and engagement become unreliable, dating platforms are flooded with synthetic profiles, voting systems become more difficult to validate, creative marketplaces struggle to identify original work, and video calls become vulnerable to deepfakes and impersonation. Put simply, trust and reliability on digital platforms is on the verge of breaking.

World has built the only technology that enables individuals to prove they are unique humans without revealing their identity. A one-time verification, performed at an Orb, generates your World ID. The unique ID is securely stored on your phone and unlocks trusted online experiences while keeping your data private. The process utilizes advanced cryptography, anonymized multi-party computation, developed and open sourced by the World Foundation.

Starting this year, World ID is being integrated with the internet’s most important communications, identity, authentication, and even dating platforms, including Zoom, Docusign, Okta, Vercel, and Tinder. Hear directly from the executives who spoke at World Foundation’s recent Lift Off event describing the impact of AI on their platforms firsthand.

World: Year 3

The investment comes as World shifts from building the network to scaling utility. Coincidentially, July 24, 2026 aligns with the three year anniversary of World launching into production. As every day platforms increasingly adopt World ID, World is entering a phase focused on integrations and utility for enterprises, consumers, and AI agents.

To date, more than 39 million have joined World Network, with more than 18 million humans verified by an Orb. The network has utilized more than 475 million World ID proofs since its launch.

Two forces are simultaneously accelerating World’s proof of human infrastructure. The first is the rapid emergence of sophisticated AI systems and agents. The second is the release of World ID 4.0. The release is an enterprise-ready infrastructure capable of supporting high-scale integrations. World ID 4.0 also expands access to proof of human infrastructure by enabling independent developers to develop virtually any other credential that will live securely in the World ID stack of zero knowledge proofs.

About World

World is positioned to be the world’s largest network of real humans, creating the only solution that can sustain uniqueness and privacy at the scale of seven billion people. The project was originally conceived by Sam Altman, Max Novendstern, and Alex Blania with the mission of empowering humans in the age of AI. Find out more about World at world.org and on X.

About World Foundation

World Foundation is the independent nonprofit steward of the World protocol. Its mandate is to advance World’s human first mission and serve the long-term interests of the network and its community. The Foundation provides the institutional bridge between World’s initial development and its transition to an open, decentralized protocol, overseeing core protocol assets, governance, ecosystem grants, and network operations while progressively expanding community participation. It is also working to make the protocol economically self-sustaining through protocol fees paid by applications, not individual users, so that value generated through use of the network can support its continued operation and growth. Find out more about World Foundation at foundation.world.org.

 

Organizations highlighted during Lift Off event

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Donald is still determining whether he is ready and able to return to the Los Angeles Rams, but coach Sean McVay says the team will welcome the superstar defensive lineman if he decides to end his two-season retirement.

While the Rams reported to training camp at Loyola Marymount University on Saturday, McVay said he has no idea whether one of the greatest defensive linemen in recent NFL history will decide to resume his career.

“If that is something that he wants to do, we’re going to try to be able to make that happen,” McVay said. “But I genuinely do not have an answer on whether he is or he isn’t. I know he’s preparing himself to be able to make that decision, and I know if he feels good, he’s going to be ready to rock. If not, he doesn’t owe us anything.”

McVay said Puka Nacua is expected to practice in training camp while the Rams work on the next contract for their All-Pro receiver, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The coach said NFL MVP Matthew Stafford is fully healthy, but still will sit out multiple practices in training camp as part of a modified preparation schedule to keep the 38-year-old quarterback fresh for the long season ahead.

The Rams also confirmed first-round pick Ty Simpson had formally signed his four-year, $25.4 million rookie contract as he begins a training camp competition with Stetson Bennett for the backup job behind Stafford.

But McVay was eager to talk about a player who wasn't reporting to the Loyola Marymount dorms — Donald, who anchored the Rams' defense for a decade before he retired somewhat abruptly in March 2024.

Donald apparently began to entertain the idea of a comeback early last month after the Rams acquired superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett in a trade with Cleveland. The prospect of lining up next to one of his few contemporary peers compelled the now-35-year-old Donald to begin an extensive workout program aimed at returning him to football shape.

“He is going through his process, and he is putting himself in a position to make a decision,” McVay said. “He's earned the right to be able to do that. ... He's very diligent. Anything that he does, he does all-in, and so he's going through a very strict regimen and process that's similar to what he did when he played. See how his body responds and feels, and then we'll see when we have more information whether or not we're going to give it a go, or whether or not he's going to continue to enjoy what he's been doing for the last couple of years.”

Donald hung it up nearly 2 1/2 years ago after a very successful decade spent entirely with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles. He racked up a team-record 111 sacks as the heart of the Rams' defense, winning the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times while earning eight All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl selections.

Donald led the Rams to a championship in the 2021-22 season, making the decisive defensive plays in both the NFC title game and the Super Bowl victory over Cincinnati in their home SoFi Stadium.

Donald has stayed close to the game and the Rams during his two years of retirement, living mostly in Los Angeles while regularly returning to his native Pittsburgh. The current Rams are eager to see whether they're about to add another star.

“I mean, him being the greatest of all time, I'm sure he'd have a pretty good impact, right?” defensive lineman Braden Fiske said. "It's only been two years, but if you've seen the (workout) videos, it doesn't seem like he's lost too much of where he's at. ... If that's what he chooses to do, I'm sure we'll be waiting for him. We're just letting him handle his process. That's totally on him. I don't want to be the pushy one. If it happens, great. If not, you know, we'll play some good football."

Fiske is among the linemen whose snap counts could be affected if Donald returns, but the Rams appear to be wholeheartedly excited about the prospect of adding Donald to a roster already considered to be among the Super Bowl favorites.

When asked if Donald's comeback decision might not be made until midseason, McVay reiterated that the Rams will support whatever Donald wants to do.

“I think if AD makes the decision to come back, he's going to want to play the whole year, just knowing how he is and the mindset that he has,” said left guard Steve Avila, who played with Donald as a rookie in 2023. “I don't think he'd be halfway in, halfway out with being part of the team, and that's just what you expect from someone as great as him.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

FILE - Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches his players during the NFL football team's practice, June 2, 2026, in Woodland Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)

FILE - Former Los Angeles Rams player Aaron Donald looks on before an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nov. 23, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)