As we inch closer to the Avalanche9000 moment–the largest network upgrade that Avalanche has undergone since mainnet–a commitment to builders stands at the foundation of the ecosystem. Today, as the Avalanche9000 testnet goes live, Retro9000, an up to $40 million retroactive grant program including $2 million for referrals, officially opens to the builder community. Retro9000 will specifically reward developers building Layer 1 (L1) blockchains and related, critical developer tooling on the Avalanche9000 testnet. 

Avalanche9000 includes the technical Etna Upgrade, ACP-77, ACP-125, and more, making launching L1s more economically feasible by reducing deployment costs by 99.9%, simplifying customization and enhancing maintenance. Developers can benefit from Avalanche L1 blockchains that communicate with each other via Interchain Messaging (ICM), sharing in collective interoperability to build network effects.

As Avalanche9000 lowers the barrier to entry and unlocks purpose-driven blockchains at scale, over 500 L1s are already being developed on testnet and mainnet, with a frenzy of network activity driving momentum. These new L1s span community-run gaming, payment solutions for small businesses, and institutional research with continued expansion into new verticals. 

With proven utility, heavily-transacted mainstream Avalanche L1s such as DeFi Kingdoms, Dexalot, Off The Grid, Lamina1, Pulsar, SK Planet and StraitsX continue to deliver scalable impact.

Retro9000 submissions are ranked on a public leaderboard, driven by community votes informing retroactive grant allocations, encouraging developers to build publicly, earn community support, and test and ship projects to get rewarded.

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Ready to register your L1 on the Retro9000 grants platform? 

Simply connect your wallet, get and share your referral code, and redeem rewards. 

Get started here: retro9000.avax.network

Ready to build on Avalanche9000? 

Get started here: docs.avax.network

For full details on Retro9000 guidelines, including eligibility rules, please visit here.

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About Avalanche Blockchain Network

Avalanche is a high-performance blockchain platform designed for builders who need to scale. Engineered with a revolutionary three-part Layer 1 (L1) architecture, Avalanche is anchored by its Avalanche Consensus Mechanism, ensuring near-instant finality for transactions. The platform also features an open-source Layer 0 (L0) framework, enabling the seamless creation of interoperable Layer 1 blockchains with high throughput on both public and private networks.

Supported by a global community of developers and validators, Avalanche offers a fast, low-cost environment for building the next generation of decentralized applications (dApps). With its unique blend of speed, flexibility, and scalability, Avalanche is the preferred choice for innovators pushing the boundaries of blockchain technology.

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About the Avalanche Foundation

The Avalanche Foundation is a non-profit entity that fosters the advancement and growth of the Avalanche platform for the world. The Foundation offers development programs for developers, entrepreneurs, and users to help turbocharge the advancement of the Avalanche ecosystem.