What is Sophon (SOPH)? A Consumer Blockchain on Elastic Chain Backed by Binance Labs

What is Sophon (SOPH)?

Sophon is a ZK ( Zero-Knowledge ) chain built on Validium technology and zkSync's Elastic Chain architecture, positioned as a Layer 2 blockchain platform focused on consumer crypto applications. The project aims to bring blockchain experience to mainstream users through areas such as games, social networks, e-tickets and betting, breaking traditional technical barriers.

How does Sophon work?

Sophon uses the ZK Stack toolkit powered by Validium – a Layer 2 scaling solution that enables off-chain transaction processing, increasing scalability , reducing costs while ensuring security by verifying proofs on Ethereum. Sophon leverages the Avail data availability layer, which securely stores and replicates network state.

Additionally, Sophon is part of the Elastic Chain network – an ecosystem of ZK chain that can seamlessly interact, allowing users and liquidation to move between chain without complex bridges. This results in a unified user experience as if using a single chain .

Sophon also integrates Native Account Abstraction (AA) which enables all accounts to function as smart contract accounts, and supports Paymaster so users can pay Gas Price with any Token – without holding SOPH.

Products in the Sophon ecosystem

The Sophon ecosystem includes several core products that play a vital Vai in operating the network and expanding the blockchain experience for consumers:

1. Sophon Bridge

Sophon provides a simple and secure asset bridge mechanism , allowing users to transfer Token between Sophon and other blockchains such as Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base:

• Sophon Bridge : Official bridge between Sophon and Ethereum, supporting approved assets.
• Layerswap : Third-party bridge integration partner, enabling asset transfers between Sophon and other popular L2 networks.

2. Sophon Farm

Sophon Farm is the project's liquidation farming, where users can provide assets (ETH, BEAM,...) to receive Sophon Points (SPs) - accumulated points for the Airdrop program:

• Ethereum Mainnet Phase : 6% of SOPH total supply distributed.
• Sophon Mainnet Phase : Distribute an additional 2% of total SOPH supply.
• A total of 10% of the total SOPH supply is used to reward the community through this Farm program.

3. Sophon Full Node

Full Node is a network node that stores all Sophon blockchain data , with the potential to become a sequencer or validator in the upcoming decentralization phase:

• Stores the entire blockchain state.
• Supports Web3 API, authenticates transactions and interacts with the network in a trustless way.
• The current version operates in “read-only” mode, future stages will enable Block creation, batch processing, and proof generation.

4. Sophon Light Node

Light Node are the most accessible way to join the Sophon network, using the Avail Light Client to perform data sampling – ensuring data availability without processing entire blocks:

• Suitable for mainstream hardware (only 1 GB RAM, 2–4 CPU cores required).
• Can be deployed via Railway (no-code), Docker or using Node-as-a-Service (Easeflow, NodeOps…).
• Node Operator can set commission (1–3%), get rewarded based on contribution to the network.

5. Sophon Guardians

Guardian NFTs are at the heart of the decentralization mechanism in the Sophon network:

• Each Non-Fungible Token represents a Guardian membership.
• Holders can operate nodes or delegate to Node Operators.
• This mechanism helps to encourage decentralization and network scaling, while rewarding contributors with SOPH Token .

6. Sophon Portal

Sophon Portal is the central dashboard for the entire network, where users can:

• Track Staking, nodes, farms and on-chain activity.
• Claim rewards from Airdrop or liquidity mining.
• Manage Guardian Non-Fungible Token and coordinate node delegation.

The Sophon Portal interface is designed to be intuitive, making it easy for newcomers to access and participate in the ecosystem.

7. Sophon Swap

Sophon integrates the DEX Swap Sycnswap platform right on the portal, supporting users to trade Token in the ecosystem seamlessly.

• Supports SOPH/ ETH, SOPH/ USDC pairs and many integrated Token from zkSync or partner dApps.
• Simple interface, optimized for beginners.
• Connect directly to wallets like MetaMask, Rabby, WalletConnect.

Sophon's outstanding features

• Elastic Chain Interoperability : Move assets and users between different ZK chain without Shard liquidation.
• Native Account Abstraction : No EIP-4337 required, every account can customize transaction logic.
• Gasless Experience with Paymasters : Allows protocols to pay Gas Price on behalf of users.
• Maximum Scalability with Validium : Most data is processed off-chain while still ensuring authenticity.
• Invested by Binance Labs and major VCs such as Spartan Group, OKX Ventures, Paper Ventures.
• Successful node sale program with over 200,000 nodes, raising over 60 million USD from the community.

SOPH Token and tokenomics overview

Token Metrics

• Token name : Sophon
• Token : SOPH
• Blockchain : Sophon (ZKsync-based)
• Token standard : ERC-20
• Contract :
  • Sophon: 0x000000000000000000000000000000000000800A
  • Ethereum: 0x6B7774CB12ed7573a7586E7D0e62a2A563dDd3f0
• Total supply : 10,000,000,000 SOPH
• Circulating Supply : Updated after TGE

Token Allocation

SOPH Token vesting schedule

SOPH Token Utility

• Gas Price : Native Token used to pay for all transactions.
• Staking : Stake SOPH to run a Full Node and receive rewards from Gas Price.
• Governance (expected) : Protocol governance, deciding incentives and future upgrades.
• Reward node : Distributed to Light and Full node operators.
• Community Airdrop : Rewards for early adopters and Non-Fungible Token holders.
• Liquidation : SOPH is used in farming, liquidity mining programs.

SOPH Airdrop Program

To kickstart the Sophon ecosystem and boost liquidation ahead of the mainnet launch, the project has launched Sophon Farm Phase 1 – a liquidation mining program on Ethereum. All rewards from this program, representing 6% of the total SOPH supply , will be fully unlocked at the time of TGE .

In addition, Sophon also reserved an additional 3% of the total SOPH supply (300 million Token) to conduct an Airdrop to eligible individuals and communities. This is a deliberate effort to attract users who are aligned with the project vision , while also thanking early adopters who have been with us since the early days.

How to get SOPH Airdrop

Users can choose 1 of 2 methods to receive Airdrop:

1. Receive via OKX exchange
   • Pre-register at: claim.sophon.xyz/ OKX
   • Registration time: From 12:00 noon on May 23 to 12:00 noon on May 25 (UTC)
   • Receive Token directly to OKX account at TGE and get an additional 5% SOPH bonus
   • Note: After registering for OKX claim, you will no longer be able to receive Airdrop via Sophon Mainnet
2. Get it directly on Sophon Mainnet
   • Check allocation: claim.sophon.xyz
   • Can claim after TGE takes place
   • Specific instructions will be announced separately.

Conditions for participating in Airdrop

Airdrop allocation will be Chia into the following groups:

• Sophon Early Adopters : People who interacted with the network during the first mainnet phase
• Active zkSync User : Plays a Vai in the zkSync ecosystem, where Sophon is built
• Non-Fungible Token Holders from Partner Projects : Non-Fungible Token Collections Recognized as “Friend of Sophon” Will Receive Larger Allocations
• Sophon Node Operators : In addition to 20% of the node program rewards, they also receive additional Airdrop bonuses based on:\n
  (1) Number of nodes owned (in units, not in Volume)
  (2) Total amount spent to buy nodes (unit price x quantity)
• Discord & Telegram Community : Prominent people on official channels

For most Node Sale participants, the airdrop received can be higher than the reward from operating a node during the same period – this is XEM a “booster” to thank the core community.

SOPH Token Wallet & Exchange

• Wallets : MetaMask, Rabby, WalletConnect (via zkSync compatible wallets)
• Exchange : Expected to list on Binance spot, currently supports perpetual trading and Binance Alpha

Roadmap

Project Team

• Sebastien (@0xsebastiena) – Co-founder, formerly co-founded zkSync at Matter Labs.
• Other members have not been made public but are believed to be former zkSync and Lambda Class staff.

Investors & Partners

• Investors : Capital 12 million USD from YZi Labs (Ex Binance Labs), Spartan Group, OKX Ventures, Paper Ventures, SevenX, Maven 11…
• Community Node Sale: $34 million
• Partners : zkSync, Avail, Impossible Finance, Merit Circle, Lambda Class…

Similar projects

Sophon Overview

Sophon is a representative of the consumer crypto wave, opening the era of blockchain friendly for ordinary users. Built on Validium technology combined with Elastic Chain architecture, Sophon fully converges the factors of scalability, security, chain interaction and simple UX - which are major barriers of the crypto industry.

With backing from Binance Labs, zkSync, and a strong community , Sophon has the potential to become central to the consumer blockchain ecosystem, especially as entertainment and social networking applications begin to look to Web3 as a new infrastructure platform.

Sophon FAQ

1. Is Sophon different from zkSync Era?
   Sophon uses the Validium architecture instead of zkRollup, allowing for faster scaling and integration with Elastic Chain for more seamless chain interaction.
2. Do I need to hold SOPH to use the Sophon network?
   Thanks to Paymaster, users can transact without holding SOPH, reducing barriers for new users.
3. Can I Stake SOPH to get rewards?
   Yes, Staking will open right after TGE and users can delegate Stake to Full Node to receive rewards.

Summary

Sophon is a Layer 2 project at the forefront of the consumer blockchain wave , expanding the crypto experience to millions of Web2 users. With a combination of powerful ZK technology, balanced tokenomics, a seasoned team, and backing from top VCs, Sophon is slowly establishing itself as the Ethereum for the masses .