Sonic Labs
Sonic Labs operates Sonic, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain delivering 400,000 TPS and sub-second finality via DAG-based ABFT consensus. It serves DeFi developers and end-users through the Fee Monetization program (90% fee share), a ~200M S points airdrop, and vertical integration products including the USSD stablecoin and Spawn AI platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersGeorge Town, Cayman Islands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Sonic Labs does
Sonic Labs operates the Sonic blockchain, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 network launched in December 2024 that emerged from the rebranding of Fantom Opera. The chain is built on a DAG-based Asynchronous Byzantine Fault Tolerance (ABFT) consensus mechanism with proof-of-stake and targets 400,000 transactions per second with sub-second finality. Core proprietary components include SonicVM (EVM-compatible execution), SonicDB (binary file-based state storage processing at 1,300 MGas/s with live pruning), and Sonic Gateway (native Ethereum bridge audited by OpenZeppelin, Certora, and Quantstamp). The platform is fully compatible with Ethereum's Pectra upgrade including EIP-7702 and ERC-4337, and the architecture was deliberately designed to be quantum-resistant by avoiding BLS signature aggregation.
Sonic Labs serves two primary customer segments: DeFi developers and DeFi end-users. Developers are incentivized through the Fee Monetization program, which returns 90% of network fees generated by their applications, and through the Innovator Fund (up to 200 million S tokens from the Sonic Foundation treasury). End-users are incentivized through a ~200 million S points-based airdrop across multiple seasons. The company has expanded its product surface into USSD (a US Treasury-backed stablecoin launched March 2026 on Frax infrastructure, backed by tokenized treasuries from BlackRock, WisdomTree, and Superstate) and Spawn (an AI platform launched February 2026 that converts natural language prompts into deployable smart contracts). Distribution is product-led and self-serve through the Sonic Gateway, wallet integrations (Trust Wallet, Rabby, MetaMask), Google Cloud Marketplace validator deployment, and the Sonic Pay debit card via RedotPay.
Revenue is derived from network transaction fees (~$0.001 average), a 10% retention on Fee Monetization, and revenue from vertical integration applications, though the company itself notes that early vertical integration fee burns outpaced revenue by 400%. Ecosystem dependency is illustrated by TVL peaking at ~$1.14 billion in April 2025 with major DeFi protocols (Aave, Stargate, Pendle, Euler) deployed, before collapsing approximately 98% to ~$20 million as the S token declined 97% from its January 2025 all-time high. In June 2026, following the departure of co-founders Andre Cronje, Michael Kong, and David Richardson from the board, Matt Visser was appointed CEO and Kosta Kourkoumelis as COO, with the company suspending its 47.625 million S annual token issuance and announcing a US expansion via a planned New York office and a $150 million ETF initiative under prior CEO Mitchell Demeter.
Sonic Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sonic Labs
- Legal name
- Sonic Labs
- Website
- https://soniclabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sonic Labs operates Sonic, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain delivering 400,000 TPS and sub-second finality via DAG-based ABFT consensus. It serves DeFi developers and end-users through the Fee Monetization program (90% fee share), a ~200M S points airdrop, and vertical integration products including the USSD stablecoin and Spawn AI platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sonic Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Layer-1 Blockchain Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Compliance, Risk & RegTech for Tokenized Assets (KYC/AML, sanctions, travel rule, reporting) (FSAPAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interoperability & Integration Middleware (ERP/core banking connectors, messaging, APIs, cross-chain to permissioned) (FSAPAIAL), Consortium Networks & Governance (network setup, onboarding, rules, node operations) (FSAPAIAB), Digital Asset Custody & Wallet Infrastructure for Institutions (MPC/HSM, key mgmt, policy controls) (FSAPAIAE), Transfer Agent, Cap Table & Token Lifecycle Management (registrar, corporate actions, burns/mints) (FSAPAIAF)
Keywords
Where Sonic Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- George Town
- HQ country
- Cayman Islands
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sonic Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Network Transaction Fees: Sonic generates revenue from transaction fees on its blockchain network. Validators earn approximately 3.5% APR target (at 50% network staking rate) plus 15% of delegators' rewards and network fees. The network charges an average transaction cost of approximately $0.001.
- Developer Fee Monetization (FeeM): Developers enrolled in the Fee Monetization program earn 90% of network fees generated by their apps. This creates a developer-centric revenue sharing model that incentivizes building high-traffic applications on Sonic.
- Vertical Integration Revenue: Sonic is pursuing vertical integration by building and acquiring core applications across trading, credit, payments, and settlement. Revenue from issuance and usage of USSD stablecoin is intended to flow back into the ecosystem through buybacks and incentives. Fee burns reportedly outpaced revenue by 400% in early vertical integration efforts.
- Token Burns and Deflationary Mechanisms: Sonic implements token burn mechanisms including destroying 32.69 million unclaimed tokens after October 2026 and burning airdrop tokens. The organization suspended annual token issuance of 47,625,000 S tokens, working to halt supply inflation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Network Usage - Average transaction cost of $0.001 per transaction |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Innovator Fund - Up to 200 million S to onboard apps to Sonic |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Fee Monetization - Developers earn 90% of network fees their apps generate |
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Sonic Airdrop - ~200 million S distributed via points program across multiple seasons |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels13 records
Sonic Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sonic Labs builds and operates Sonic, a high-throughput EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain using DAG-based ABFT consensus that processes over 400,000 transactions per second with sub-second finality. The company sells access to this infrastructure to DeFi developers and protocols, enabling them to deploy smart contracts in Solidity or Vyper and earn 90% of the network fees their applications generate through the Fee Monetization program. It also issues the S native token and operates complementary products including the USSD stablecoin (backed 1:1 by tokenized U.S. Treasuries), the Sonic Gateway cross-chain bridge, and Spawn (an AI platform for generating Web3 apps from natural language prompts).
Product overview
Sonic Labs operates a unified platform built around the Sonic blockchain — a high-performance EVM Layer-1 with 400k TPS and sub-second finality. The core ecosystem revolves around the S native token, which powers transaction fees, staking, and governance, with developers earning 90% of fees through the Fee Monetization program. Key modules include: USSD (flagship stablecoin backed 1:1 by U.S. Treasuries from BlackRock/WisdomTree/Superstate), Spawn (AI platform converting natural language to smart contracts), Sonic Gateway (native bridge audited by OpenZeppelin/Certora/Quantstamp), SonicVM (EVM-compatible execution), SonicDB (high-performance state database at 1,300 MGas/s), and Sonic Points (~200M S airdrop via NFT-based seasons). Supporting services include staking via MySonic, Sonic Pay debit cards, Notifi notifications, and the S Tier hackathon. The vertical integration strategy aims to build/acquire apps across trading, credit, payments, and settlement to drive token buybacks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sonic Blockchain Sonic is the company's flagship EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain, designed for DeFi applications with over 400,000 TPS throughput, sub-second finality, proof-of-stake security, and DAG-based ABFT consensus. It is sold to developers and protocols as infrastructure for deploying decentralized applications.
- S Token The native cryptocurrency token of the Sonic blockchain, used for paying transaction fees, staking to run validators with a minimum 500,000 S stake, delegating to earn approximately 3.5% APR target plus network fees, and participating in governance. Developers enrolled in Fee Monetization earn 90% of the network fees their apps generate, denominated in S.
- USSD Stablecoin USSD is Sonic's flagship decentralized stablecoin, backed 1:1 by U.S. Treasuries including tokenized treasuries from BlackRock, WisdomTree, and Superstate, and is positioned as GENIUS Act-compatible. Built on Frax Finance's frxUSD infrastructure, USSD is mintable and redeemable 1:1 with USDC through Circle's CCTP cross-chain functionality powered by LayerZero.
- Spawn AI Platform Spawn is the first AI platform for building Web3 applications from natural language prompts. It translates user descriptions into production-ready smart contracts, compiles and deploys them to Sonic's EVM-compatible blockchain, and automatically generates a functional frontend with wallet connectivity, aimed at enabling rapid dApp creation without traditional smart contract development overhead.
- Sonic Gateway Sonic Gateway is the native cross-chain bridge for moving assets between Ethereum and Sonic. It includes a unique fail-safe mechanism to protect user assets, has been audited by OpenZeppelin, Certora, and Quantstamp, and supports programmatic transfer of ERC-20 assets between Ethereum and Sonic.
- Fee Monetization Program Fee Monetization (FeeM) is a developer incentive program on Sonic that allows builders to earn 90% of the network fees their deployed applications generate, using dynamic gas consumption mechanisms to monetize on-chain app activity directly to developer wallets.
- Sonic Points and Airdrop Program Sonic Points is an NFT-based points program that distributes approximately 200 million S tokens across multiple seasons to incentivize users who hold or deploy whitelisted assets in Sonic DeFi apps, with multipliers for active participation and ecosystem protocols.
- Innovator Fund
Quantifiable outcome
- 400,000 TPS throughput vs. Ethereum's ~15-30 TPS
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Sonic Labs
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sonic Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
AI capability3 records
Feature9 records
Sonic Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- AavemajorAave, one of the most trusted DeFi lending protocols, deployed on Sonic and reached over $100 million TVL. This integration provides Sonic users with access to decentralized lending and borrowing with incentives.
- Stargate FinancemajorStargate Finance integrated Sonic, enabling users to bridge USDC from various chains to Sonic, providing cross-chain liquidity routing to the Sonic ecosystem.
- PendlecorePendle went live on Sonic, allowing users to earn yield using assets like wstkscUSD, wstkscETH, stS, and wOS on the Sonic network.
- Trust WalletcoreTrust Wallet integrated Sonic, enabling users to send, receive, store Sonic assets, and check transaction history directly within the wallet interface.
- Lombard FinancecoreLombard Finance's LBTC (liquid staked BTC) is used as collateral for scBTC on Sonic, enabling yield-bearing Bitcoin representation on the network. LBTC has grown to nearly $2B in circulation on Ethereum.
- Rings ProtocolcoreRings Protocol is a yield-bearing stablecoin protocol built on Veda BoringVaults, enabling scUSD, scETH, and scBTC minting on Sonic. Rings holds a 6x multiplier for the S airdrop points program, driving significant liquidity to the ecosystem.
- Veda LabscoreVeda Labs operates BoringVaults that optimize yield for deployed assets by farming yield across DeFi protocols on Ethereum. Their strategies power the native yield for scUSD, scETH, and scBTC tokens on Sonic.
- Euler FinancecoreEuler Finance went live on Sonic, offering decentralized lending and borrowing with both incentives and looping strategies for Sonic users.
- LayerZerocoreLayerZero enables cross-chain functionality for Sonic's USSD stablecoin and other cross-chain assets, providing the interoperability infrastructure for multi-chain asset transfers.
- Sonic x Pierre GaslyminorSonic partnered with Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly for the 2025 F1 World Championship, positioning Sonic as 'speed meets speed' to drive brand awareness through motorsport sponsorship.
- TravalaminorTravala partnership enabling S token holders to book flights, hotels, and activities worldwide, with $50 promo credits for Sonic Summit attendees.
- Frax FinancemajorSonic's USSD stablecoin was built on Frax Finance's institutional-grade frxUSD infrastructure, leveraging Frax's established stablecoin technology for the native Sonic stablecoin.
- BlackRockcoreSonic's USSD stablecoin is backed by tokenized US Treasuries from BlackRock, providing institutional-grade collateral for the native stablecoin. This positions USSD as GENIUS Act-compatible and trusted by major asset managers.
- SuperstatecoreSuperstate provides tokenized US Treasuries as backing for Sonic's USSD stablecoin, complementing BlackRock and WisdomTree in providing institutional-grade collateral.
- WisdomTreecoreWisdomTree provides tokenized US Treasuries as backing for Sonic's USSD stablecoin, one of three institutional asset managers backing the native stablecoin alongside BlackRock and Superstate.
- Google CloudcoreGoogle Cloud powers Sonic's 1-Click Validator deployment through its marketplace, enabling operators to set up Sonic validators in seconds with enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure.
- Curve (Michael)coreStrategic angel investor Michael (Curve founder) is part of the Innovator Fund ecosystem, providing strategic guidance alongside other industry leaders including Stani (Aave), Robert (Compound), Tarun (Gauntlet), and Sam (FRAX).
- Aave (Stani Kulechov)coreAave founder Stani Kulechov is a strategic angel investor for the Innovator Fund, bringing DeFi expertise and potential protocol integration synergies to Sonic.
- FRAX (Sam Kazemian)coreFRAX founder Sam Kazemian is a strategic angel investor supporting the Innovator Fund, complementing the Frax Finance infrastructure used for USSD stablecoin development.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sonic Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Fantom Foundation: The predecessor entity from which Sonic Labs emerged (previously Fantom Opera). While not a direct competitor, the relationship defines Sonic's technical and community DNA, and Fantom Opera's continued operation (extended to year-end 2026) creates both legacy infrastructure obligations and user-base overlap.
Direct peers
- Avalanche: High-performance EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain with strong DeFi ecosystem (Aave, Curve, GMX). Competes directly with Sonic for EVM DeFi developers, institutional partners, and total value locked. Both chains emphasize sub-second finality and developer-friendly tooling.
- Sei Network: EVM-compatible Layer-1 optimized for trading and DeFi with parallelized execution. Competes head-to-head with Sonic in the high-throughput DeFi-focused L1 category, with similar positioning around speed, sub-second finality, and trading-centric use cases.
- Berachain: Newer EVM Layer-1 with a DeFi-native focus, Proof-of-Liquidity consensus, and significant venture backing. Targets the same DeFi developer segment as Sonic, with comparable TVL trajectories post-mainnet and aggressive validator/builder incentive programs.
- Polygon: Major EVM-compatible blockchain network (originally a sidechain, evolving toward zk-powered L2). Competes with Sonic for EVM Solidity developers, DeFi protocols (Aave, Stargate, Pendle deploy on both), and enterprise partnerships through its Polygon Labs ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- BNB Chain: Largest EVM-compatible L1 by user activity, operated by Binance. Competes with Sonic across DeFi, payments, and stablecoin use cases — though as a broader-portfolio incumbent rather than a specialized DeFi-focused chain.
- Solana: Non-EVM high-throughput Layer-1 with massive DeFi ecosystem and deep liquidity. Competes with Sonic for DeFi protocols, retail users, and stablecoin issuers (USDC, USDS), though Sonic differentiates via EVM compatibility vs. Solana's Rust-based stack.
Emerging players
- Monad: Upcoming high-performance EVM Layer-1 with parallel execution, targeting DeFi and high-throughput dApps. Closest emerging competitor to Sonic in terms of architectural philosophy (EVM-compatible + high TPS) and developer-targeting strategy.
- Aptos: High-performance Layer-1 built on the Move programming language, with significant venture backing and a growing DeFi ecosystem. Competes with Sonic for institutional partnerships and high-throughput application developers, though uses a non-EVM stack.
- Sui: Layer-1 blockchain built on Move with high throughput and parallel execution. Competes with Sonic in the high-performance L1 category and for developer mindshare, though differentiated by its object-centric data model vs. Sonic's EVM focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sonic Labs social profiles
Digital presenceSonic Labs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Sonic Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sonic Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Sonic Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sonic Labs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments5 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sonic Labs
What does Sonic Labs do?
Sonic Labs builds and operates Sonic, a high-throughput EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain using DAG-based ABFT consensus that processes over 400,000 transactions per second with sub-second finality. The company sells access to this infrastructure to DeFi developers and protocols, enabling them to deploy smart contracts in Solidity or Vyper and earn 90% of the network fees their applications generate through the Fee Monetization program. It also issues the S native token and operates complementary products including the USSD stablecoin (backed 1:1 by tokenized U.S. Treasuries), the Sonic Gateway cross-chain bridge, and Spawn (an AI platform for generating Web3 apps from natural language prompts).
Is Sonic Labs a public or private company?
Sonic Labs is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Sonic Labs founded?
Sonic Labs was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sonic Labs based?
Sonic Labs is headquartered in George Town, Cayman Islands.
How does Sonic Labs make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Network Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are developer Fee Monetization (FeeM), vertical Integration Revenue and token Burns and Deflationary Mechanisms.
Who are Sonic Labs's main competitors?
Fantom Foundation is listed as an others. Direct peers are Avalanche, Sei Network, Berachain and Polygon. Broad incumbents are BNB Chain and Solana. Emerging players are Monad, Aptos and Sui.
Does Sonic Labs have an API?
Yes. Sonic provides a public RPC API and WebSocket interface for blockchain interaction. Mainnet RPC: https://rpc.soniclabs.com (Chain ID: 146), Testnet RPC: https://rpc.testnet.soniclabs.com (Chain ID: 14601). The RPC supports multiple namespaces including eth, web3, net, ftm, txpool, abft, dag, trace, and debug. The platform also provides a programmatic gateway for transferring ERC-20 assets between Ethereum and Sonic. Developer documentation is at docs.soniclabs.com.
What industry is Sonic Labs in?
Sonic Labs's product category is Layer-1 Blockchain Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAIAH, Compliance, Risk & RegTech for Tokenized Assets (KYC/AML, sanctions, travel rule, reporting), with a secondary code of FSAPAIAL, Interoperability & Integration Middleware (ERP/core banking connectors, messaging, APIs, cross-chain to permissioned). Its NAICS code is 51321 and its SIC code is 7372.