World Foundation Rakes in $135M for Global Biometric ID Push—Because Nothing Says ’Trust’ Like a Crypto-Backed Orb

Another day, another nine-figure crypto moonshot. The World Foundation just bagged $135 million in token sales to scale its Orb-verified biometric IDs worldwide—because apparently, we all need blockchain to prove we’re human.

Privacy advocates are already side-eyeing the dystopian vibes, while crypto bros cheer the ’on-chain identity revolution.’ Meanwhile, traditional VCs are left wondering how a hardware device became a speculative asset class.

Fun fact: This round could buy 27 private islands—or one decent chunk of a Twitter competitor. Priorities!

Scalable solution

World’s central premise is that as AI continues to evolve rapidly, establishing proof of personhood will be critical to maintaining trust, governance, and economic participation in digital systems.

The company’s Core product, World ID, uses biometric verification via its proprietary Orb devices to issue decentralized identity credentials. These IDs allow users to verify their humanity without revealing personal information, a feature the company says will be crucial in mitigating AI-driven fraud, spam, and identity theft.

To date, more than 12.5 million people have received an Orb-verified World ID, and the total user base of the World network has exceeded 26 million.

The company said the funding will accelerate Orb deployment, bolster infrastructure, and improve accessibility to World IDs, particularly in underrepresented regions where digital verification tools remain scarce.

Self-sustaining protocol

Unlike traditional ID systems run by states or corporations, World aims to become a self-sustaining, decentralized protocol.

The organization has indicated that revenue from protocol-level fees and related services could eventually support network operations, allowing it to scale without perpetual dependence on external capital.

While the project has faced regulatory scrutiny over its biometric data collection practices in some jurisdictions, its backers maintain that the protocol’s approach offers a transparent, privacy-preserving alternative to centralized identity systems.

The renewed support from a16z and Bain highlights growing confidence among venture capitalists that decentralized identity may play a foundational role in the coming AI-dominated era.

The World Foundation framed this funding round as a step toward operational growth and a philosophical bet on the need for human-centric verification systems in an increasingly automated world.