World Foundation raises $52.5M to expand World ID

The World Foundation raised $52.5 million in a token sale led by Pantera Capital to scale World ID, the organization’s proof-of-human identity system, the foundation said. The funds are intended to support deployment to organizations, consumers and their AI agents.

Investors in the sale included Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital and Susquehanna Crypto. The WLD tokens sold are subject to a 12-month lockup. The foundation added the capital will be used to expand integrations, develop enterprise features and increase developer access to World ID credentials.

World ID uses a one-time iris scan performed at a spherical device called the Orb. The scan produces a unique proof stored on a user’s phone that can verify personhood without revealing a person’s identity.

World, rebranded from Worldcoin in 2024 and co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, released an enterprise-ready version, World ID 4.0, that allows external developers to build credentials into the system.

The foundation reported more than 39 million people have joined the network, about 18 million were verified in person via an Orb, and the system has processed roughly 475 million ID proofs since launch. The fundraising coincides with the project’s third anniversary.

Pantera general partner Cosmo Jiang described the need for a Proof of Human as increasingly clear as artificial intelligence spreads online. Institutional interest has grown: Eightco created a corporate WLD treasury last year, and asset manager Grayscale filed documents to launch a U.S. exchange-traded fund tied to the token, a filing that pushed WLD higher in recent trading.

The foundation noted World has pursued commercial integrations this year with platforms including Zoom, Docusign, Okta, Vercel and Tinder, positioning World ID as a layer for consumer apps and enterprise services to confirm human users and to authenticate automated AI agents acting on behalf of people.

The project has faced regulatory and legal challenges in multiple countries over its use of biometric data. Hong Kong ordered World to cease operations in 2024; a Kenyan court directed deletion of stored biometric data; Brazil prohibited paying people for iris scans; Spanish authorities moved to pause data collection; and South Korea fined the project about $830,000 for privacy violations. The foundation has maintained its system is designed to protect user privacy while enabling proof of personhood.

The foundation did not provide a detailed breakdown of how the $52.5 million will be allocated across product development, partnerships or operations, but reiterated the funds are intended to accelerate enterprise adoption and developer access to World ID credentials.