Key Takeaways
- Lava mainnet goes live with Filecoin, Starknet, Cosmos alongside existing projects Evmos, Axelar, NEAR, and more
- $2 million incentive program for early participants like node runners and stakers
- Groundbreaking launch with low “fully diluted valuation” explicitly designed for maximum decentralization and to reward the community over insiders
- Airdrop of 50 million $LAVA tokens to bootstrap their novel incentives-driven model
Lava Network today announced the inclusion of Filecoin Network, Starknet Foundation, and Cosmos Hub in the launch of its phased public mainnet alongside existing projects, including Evmos, Axelar, and NEAR. The announcement highlights Lava’s mission to enable seamless interactions across blockchains and rollups.
Lava Network’s mainnet launch is notable not just for its expanded partnerships but also for its substantial incentive pools, featuring tokens totaling $2 million from supported ecosystems. These incentives aim to attract high-quality infrastructure providers, rewarding them for reliable service provision. The community-centric launch of the $LAVA token includes an airdrop of 55 million tokens, marking a unique approach to token distribution.
“The Lava Foundation is encouraging engagement and supporting decentralization with this radically unique approach,” said Amir Aaronson, Head of the Lava Foundation. “Our partnerships with Filecoin, Starknet, Cosmos Hub, and other service providers position Lava as the key connector for blockchains, projects, and communities onchain.”
Lava’s launch strategy diverges from traditional token launches, opting for a high initial float, capped supply, and targeted airdrops. This method is designed to foster organic ecosystem growth and reward early adopters, distinguishing Lava from recent launches with artificially high fully diluted valuations that often favor insiders.
Ecosystems leveraging Lava’s network create incentive pools to attract and reward infrastructure providers. This novel approach has demonstrated its efficacy during the testnet phase, where partners distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in tokens to participants. Notably, Google Cloud operates as an RPC provider on Lava’s testnet, managing nine nodes that process millions of Ethereum requests.
Securing contracts with prominent chains such as Evmos, Axelar, Stargaze, and Union further cements Lava’s position as a leading crypto-native infrastructure solution. “The true potential of Lava Network lies in our community,” said Ethan Luc, Head of Marketing at Lava. “Our launch approach is designed to be fairer for the community and encourage more contributors to join the network.”
Illia Polosukhin, Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol, praised Lava’s efforts, stating, “Lava Network’s incentive pools are decentralizing the NEAR RPC layer by creating a competitive market and bringing more providers. This has improved the experience for NEAR app developers and users.”
Lava Network said that it will announce additional partners in its incentive program in the coming weeks. $LAVA stakers will have the opportunity to contribute to network security, provider selection, and participate in governance.
