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.
The announcement officially introduced Pi Network Ventures, a Silicon Valley-style investment initiative that will fund startups building within or integrating with the Pi ecosystem. While the fund represents a bold and strategic pivot towards broader adoption, it was not well received by investors. This can be considered a classic “buy the rumor, sell the news” event as the Pi token dropped sharply after the reveal.
The fund will prioritize blockchain startups along with those in sectors like fintech, generative AI, e-commerce, and social platforms.
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.
Still, not all reactions have been positive. For traders, the lack of immediate token impact was a letdown, as Pi’s price erased much of its early-May rally. However, from a development perspective, the initiative suggests Pi Network is playing the long game by positioning itself to back builders. In an ecosystem increasingly saturated with short-term hype, this signals a deeper commitment to sustainable growth.
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.
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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’s utility and contribute to the ecosystem. Specific requirements will be included in future announcements.
CN: What expertise or safeguards are in place to make sure $100M is allocated wisely and not just to well-intentioned but unviable projects?
Pi: Pi Network Ventures’ investment processes will seek to mirror common practices utilized by traditional Silicon Valley venture capital firms, in sourcing, selection, vetting processes and more, designed to identify and support high-impact and disruptive startups and businesses.
Note that Pi Network Ventures’ investments are intended to provide both capital and strategic value over a broader timeframe to those believed to be best positioned to create value in the world and help provide additional ways to use Pi worldwide. Pi Foundation is not obligated to invest the entire $100M, based on the quality of applicants and number of startups accepted into the initiative. Pi Network Ventures may make investments over time and from time to time, and may discontinue investing at any point in time.
CN: Are there any particular sectors or use cases you are prioritizing for investment?
Pi: While blockchain-native startups will certainly be part of the portfolio, Pi Network Ventures’ investments will also focus heavily on general technology sectors, including generative AI and AI applications, FinTech, embedded payments, ecommerce platforms, marketplaces, social networks and real-world consumer and enterprise applications. From a global ecommerce platform that accepts Pi, to an AI-enabled service that leverages Pi for access or credits, to a traditional business integrating Pi into its loyalty program—if a company can drive real-world utility and ecosystem progress, the Pi Foundation plans to explore investment opportunities to support it.
CN: Pi Network Ventures has the objective to “boost Pi utility”. How do you see that happening in practice?
Pi: As more businesses accept Pi and integrate it into real-world applications—products, services, transactions, and experiences—users will be able to use Pi in more diverse ways. When businesses adopt Pi, they introduce it to new users and use cases. This creates natural growth while keeping usage aligned with real activity and utility, which creates a stronger ecosystem. A stronger ecosystem means more opportunities for Pi users to participate—as users, builders, workers, and entrepreneurs.
Will you be providing mentorship, networking, etc?
Pi: Mentorship and developer support programs have continued from the Enclosed Network period to present – see earlier answer.
Pi Network Ventures is part of Pi’s diverse strategies to boost utility and empower the Pi ecosystem: high-signal investment and incubation working in parallel with grass-roots utility and ecosystem movements. While high-signal investment and incubation typically target and support a limited number of high-quality startups and businesses based on selective criteria, grass-roots movements can leverage the existing community of Pi and potentially generate a larger quantity of attempts for utility at scale. Pi employs both strategies. Pi Network Ventures belongs to the former strategy, while measures like hackathons and any other platform that scales utility building are under the latter strategy.
CN: What role will the Pi community have in Pi Network Ventures? For example, would you consider incorporating community feedback in selecting which products get funded, or perhaps allow users to beta test products from these startups?
Pi: Pi Network has always had decentralized input in developer and project selection in the past. This has occurred in the Pi app called Brainstorm which is accessible through Pi Browser where Pioneers provide their input on projects through multiple blind reviews or evaluations in the app, which help remove noises and surface better projects. Their review results led to candidates of many hackathon winners in the past. As for more specific integration of community feedback in the selection process for Pi Network Ventures, stay tuned for future details.
CN: How does Pi Network Ventures fit into Pi Network’s long-term vision? How will this venture fund shape Pi’s roadmap for the future and what a mature Pi economy might look like if the plan succeeds.
Pi: 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.
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.
