Pi Network Launches a $100M Venture Fund to Jumpstart Real-World Utility for Its Ecosystem

Pi Network dominated headlines on May 14 when it officially introduced a $100 million venture fund aimed at jumpstarting real-world utility for its ecosystem.

May 14 saw the unveiling of Pi Network Ventures, a $100 million venture fund focused on startups integrating with the Pi ecosystem. This initiative, announced by Pi Foundation, marks a significant pivot as the organization expands its footprint beyond the cryptocurrency domain.

The fund, structured in a manner similar to Silicon Valley investment firms, will prioritize blockchain startups along with those in sectors like fintech, generative AI, e-commerce, and social platforms.

However, despite the wide interest in cryptocurrency venture funds, investors reacted negatively to the announcement of Pi Network Ventures. This can be considered a classic "buy the rumor, sell the news" event as the Pi token dropped sharply after the reveal, which focused on startups and use cases that will form part of the Pi Network ecosystem.

The initiative isn’t just about investment capital; it’s about integrating Pi into everyday use cases. According to the Foundation, the fund is designed to deliver strategic value and a long-term impact while favoring businesses that can extend Pi’s reach beyond its core crypto community.

“This initiative enables more of the world’s production onto Pi Network. It’s meant to get more real-world production processes, whether in the form of apps, transactions or companies, onto Pi by investing early on in startups and companies that create such processes,” a Pi Network spokesperson told crypto.news.

“This moment marks a pivotal step forward for Pi—especially now that Open Network has launched and external connectivity is enabled—opening the door to more impactful utility creation and real-world integration.”

By investing in startups and businesses, many of which build, integrate, and innovate with Pi, and bring real-world utility to the network, Pi Network Ventures is laying the groundwork for a decentralized ecosystem that is globally accessible, community-driven, and economically meaningful.

To better understand what Pi Network Ventures means for developers, users, and the broader community, crypto.news interviewed a Pi Network spokesperson to explore how the fund will be structured, what kinds of projects are likely to be backed, and how the community will play a role in shaping the next chapter of Pi Network’s evolution.

crypto.news: Can you explain where the $100 million worth of funds are coming from and how is it structured?

Pi: The Pi earmarked for the initiative comes from the 10% of tokens that are specifically allocated for foundation reserves (more information on Pi supply and tokenomics is available here).

CN: Will the funding be provided in fiat, stablecoins, Pi tokens, other cryptos, or a mix of all?

Pi: The initiative is held in Pi and USD. While the investments will generally be denominated in US dollar terms, Pi Network Ventures will seek to make the majority of its investments directly in the form of Pi. This means that companies who join the ecosystem will receive investments in the very currency that their businesses [transact in and] will help to strengthen and grow.

CN: Who will be making the investment decisions for Pi Network Ventures and what role or titles will the Pi Core Team hold?

Pi: Pi Network Ventures is an investment pool established through Pi Foundation, an ownerless organization created to guide the long-term development of the Pi ecosystem and ensure the sustainability and greater good of the network for generations to come.

CN: How will Pi Network Ventures deploy the $100 million? Is there an investment timeline or cap per deal, or is it a more flexible, rolling deployment that will be allocated as opportunities arise?

Pi: Pi Network Ventures’ investments are intended to provide both capital and strategic value over a broader timeframe to those companies believed to be best positioned to create value in the world and seeks to help companies provide additional ways to use Pi worldwide. Pi Network Ventures may make investments over time and from time to time, and may discontinue investing at any point in time.

CN: If Pi Foundation is taking a VC approach to its investing, how will it differ from traditional venture capital?

Pi: Companies that Pi Network Ventures may invest in will gain something incredibly rare in crypto and in traditional venture capital: the funds come with access to the market—potentially addressing two of the essential components of building startups. Portfolio companies will have the opportunity to access a sizable, active, and KYC-verified userbase with tens of millions of users of Pi Network across 200+ countries and regions, with over 19 million already identity-verified through Pi KYC.

CN: What are the criteria and process for selecting startups to receive Pi Network Ventures funding? Does a project have to be built exclusively on the Pi blockchain or is simply integrating Pi in some way (i.e accepting Pi as payment) sufficient?

Pi: More details on criteria and process will be released later. But the initial factor to be considered is whether a startup or business is innovative and creates value for the world or not, and whether there is a strong team to make that happen. Thereafter, Pi Network Ventures will evaluate whether the business can help expand Pi’