StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation have introduced the "devonomics pilot program," aiming to distribute a portion of Layer 2 network fees to Starknet developers. This initiative is set to allocate 10% of transaction operator fees accumulated from Starknet's launch in November 2022 until the end of the preceding month, totaling 1,600 ETH (over $35 million). The distribution of rewards will be automatic and based on the level of fees generated by individual decentralized applications (dApps) on the network. Future payments are expected to transition to governance tokens once Starknet upgrades to version 0.13, introducing fee payments in STRK.

The devonomics pilot program is designed to support both new and established developers within the Starknet ecosystem. According to Uri Kolodny, CEO of StarkWare, the program is part of STRK's broader role in facilitating Starknet governance and operation. Token holders will have voting rights proportional to their holdings and the ability to stake.

The allocation of operator fees is set at 10% of the total collected fees, equivalent to 1,600 ether ($3.5 million). Within this allocation, 8% will go to dApp developers, and 2% will be directed to core developers. This results in 1,280 ether for dApp builders and 320 ether for core developers. These devonomics payouts are distinct from Starknet Foundation's plan to distribute 1.8 billion STRK tokens in the form of user contributor rewards and rebates.

Starknet operates as a decentralized Layer 2 network on the Ethereum blockchain, utilizing zero-knowledge roll-up solutions to consolidate multiple transactions off-chain and publish them collectively on the Ethereum network. StarkWare, recognized for developing the Stark cryptographic proofs mechanism, was the original architect of Starknet and remains a significant contributor, with the ongoing development now led by the Starknet Foundation.