A couple of days ago, I came across the news that the KITE project has completed a $18 million Series A financing round, led by PayPal Ventures and General Catalyst. Adding to the previous financing, it has accumulated to $33 million. As an ordinary player who has held KITE for over two months, to be honest, seeing this news makes me feel more secure.
Today, I will talk to everyone in plain language about why I am so optimistic and what this financing really means.
The two giants standing on stage is not just a signal.
PayPal and General Catalyst, these two names are gold-plated.
One is a giant that we use for our daily cross-border transfers and online payments, and the other is a top venture capital that has invested in global top companies like Airbnb and Stripe. They are putting in real money, not just randomly throwing cash around. This at least shows that KITE's direction of 'proxying the internet' is recognized by the smart money in traditional finance and tech circles. Compared to those projects with no background and pure hype, the safety aspect is already a plus.
Money should be used where it matters: building the infrastructure for AI agents
The project party said that the financing is mainly used to build the 'infrastructure for the proxy internet'. It sounds a bit convoluted, but it's actually very simple: it allows AI to go online, work, conduct safe transactions, and use KITE for payment and settlement.
I previously participated in the testnet and found that AI agents can indeed do some tasks, such as checking information and processing simple commands, but sometimes they are slow to respond and have limited capabilities. Now, with this funding, the team can recruit more talents, optimize the network, and expand application scenarios. In the future, AI agents may really help us automatically complete complex operations like cross-border payments and service bookings. As more people use it, the demand for KITE will naturally increase.
Lock-up mechanism: a reassurance for holders
I particularly want to emphasize this point. The tokens obtained from this financing have a lock-up period of 18 months. The team's own tokens have a longer lock-up time, reaching 24 months.
What does this mean? It means that both investors and the project team are not here to 'play short-term', they are willing to bind themselves to the project for the long term and grow together. Compared to those teams that rush to sell and cash out as soon as they go live, this sincerity and determination is a very positive signal for the community and long-term holders. It can reduce the selling pressure in the market and allow the team to focus more on technical development rather than short-term price fluctuations.
My real feelings: from taking advantage of the situation to long-term holding
At first, I also approached KITE with a try-it-out mentality, but after deeper understanding, I found its logic very clear. AI is so popular now, but the collaboration between AIs and the value exchange between AI and humans still lack a secure and efficient underlying network. What KITE wants to do is to become the 'economic layer' and 'collaboration protocol' of the AI world.
The testnet has exceeded 700 million AI agent call data. Although most of it is still simple tasks, it has already proven there are real use cases running, and this is not a castle in the air.
Of course, just a reminder about the risks
The price fluctuations of KITE are still significant. After the financing news came out, it surged for a while but quickly retraced. If you're not stable in your mindset and watch the market every day, you might feel anxious. Personally, I treat it as a long-term layout, not pursuing short-term explosive growth, but focusing more on the progress of the project itself and the ecological landing.
To summarize
With $33 million in financing, plus endorsements from PayPal and General Catalyst, and a clear lock-up mechanism, I have more confidence in the long-term development of KITE. It is not just a coin, but an infrastructure that attempts to solve the value exchange problem in the AI era.
If you're also interested, I suggest doing more research, trying small positions, and not blindly chasing highs. The market has risks, and investment needs caution. I will continue to hold on and see how far this 'proxy internet' path can go.
Perhaps we are witnessing the early stages of an important future protocol.
