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🩸BEARISH

Sophon Shuts L2, Moves Consumer Build to Base

A $60M-raised ZK L2 folding its native chain to live as a product studio on Base signals the infrastructure layer is consolidating and the application layer is where new teams are now spending.

Sophon, a ZK-powered L2 that previously raised $60 million, announced it will shut down its native blockchain and transition into SOPH, a consumer product studio built on Base. The team framed the move as a thesis: the era of dedicated crypto infrastructure is ending, and maintaining an independent chain costs millions annually while generating insufficient value.

Why it matters

Sophon joins a growing list of L2 and L1 teams that have wound down native chains in favor of building on top of a shared settlement layer. Base has become the default home for consumer-facing crypto products, and Sophon's first product, Pyre, will launch there in early July as an Entertainment Finance payments app that combines spending, saving, transfers, and yield with interactive experiences tied to every transaction.

Market impact

The shift is a direct read on where venture-backed crypto teams are placing their next dollar: the application layer, not another chain. For Base, it is another credible consumer tenant; for the broader L2 landscape, it is another data point that running your own sequencer is a luxury only a handful of teams can justify.

Related tokens
$SOPH

Frequently asked questions

  1. What is Sophon doing?

    Sophon is shutting down its native ZK-powered L2 and transitioning into SOPH, a consumer product studio that will build on Base.

  2. How much did Sophon raise before the shutdown?

    Sophon previously raised $60 million before deciding to wind down its native blockchain.

  3. Why is Sophon shutting down its L2?

    The team argues the era of crypto infrastructure is ending, and maintaining its own chain costs millions annually while generating insufficient value.

  4. What is Pyre and when does it launch?

    Pyre is Sophon's first consumer product, an Entertainment Finance payments app built on Base, scheduled to launch in early July.

  5. What does this mean for Base?

    Base gains another credible consumer tenant, reinforcing its position as the default home for consumer-facing crypto product teams.

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Aggregated from WuBlockchain · Verified · Last refreshed 1h ago
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