The entertainment-focused zkSync Hyperchain Sophon has successfully raised nearly $60 million within a week through their node sale. The Hyperchain utilizes a modular blockchain architecture developed by Matter Labs, the creators of zkSync, the first zk-rollup in the Ethereum Layer 2 sector.

Over 200,000 nodes were made available for purchase at various levels, leading to the node sale surpassing $60 million in wETH. The funding round, with initial disclosures of $10 million and participation from Spartan, SevenX, and OKX Ventures, was spearheaded by Paper Ventures and Maven 11. Sophon is expected to launch in Q3 2024 alongside the zkSync ZK Stack toolkit as an L2 rollup validium.

Despite 121,000 nodes sold, it does not necessarily equate to 121,000 validators on Sophon. Node license holders can earn Sophon tokens totaling 20% of the token supply within the first 36 months of the mainnet launch.

Sophon does not require all 200,000 nodes to operate, as users can delegate tasks without physically running a node. Any unsold or unused node licenses post-sale will be burnt, not circulated. The distribution of the $SOPH token will occur through an airdrop initiative. Staking assets such as $BEAM and $ZENT will become eligible for receiving $SOPH allotments.

Prominent figures like Pentoshi and Sebastien co-founded Sophon with the intention of building an entertainment platform that incorporates zkSync features to increase cryptocurrency adoption. By forming strategic partnerships and attracting top industry developers, Sophon aims to be a leading Hyperchain within the zkSync ecosystem.

Sebastien expressed his confidence in selecting the ZK Stack for Sophon, emphasizing the forward-thinking approach and collaboration with Matter Labs for future success.