More than 150 projects are being developed on the Retro9000 Testnet: Is it Avalanche’s (AVAX) moment to excel?
Currently, over 150 initiatives are developing on Avalanche as part of the Retro9000 initiative, leading up to a significant snapshot event planned for April 2025. Among these projects are The Arena, which is creating a cutting-edge SocialFi application; Animalia–a free-to-play online DIGITAL COLLECTIBLE card game; and L1Beat–which will deliver Avalanche L1 analytical data.
This progress marks a considerable advantage for AVAX and the broader Avalanche ecosystem, coinciding with a resurgence in crypto asset prices after a period of steady decline throughout much of Q1 2025.
The latest developments indicate that developers are enthusiastic about working on the DeFi-focused blockchain, a trend that could boost buyer interest for AVAX and motivate investors to align with the principal upward trend initiated in late 2024.
This opportunity arises at a crucial juncture for Avalanche.
Since its debut in 2020, it has faced challenges in gaining traction due to stiff competition from other scalable ETH layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum and innovative platforms such as Solana and Algorand–which experienced remarkable surges in 2024 and are expected to continue in 2025.
In response to waning enthusiasm for DeFi, fierce competition, and the emergence of new rivals, Avalanche developers unveiled the Retro9000 program as a component of Avalanche9000, seeking to regain their competitive edge as a scalable and low-latency option against Ethereum and other competitors.
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Retro9000: A $40 Million Grant
Through Retro9000, Avalanche is providing $40 million in total funding to motivate developers to establish Layer-1 blockchains utilizing its technology. This funding is part of the Avalanche9000 update, which was activated in December 2024.
The Retro9000 testnet phase is currently active, and developers are required to submit their top projects prior to the first snapshot on April 15, 2025, at 12:00 UTC.
Retro9000: Up to $40m in retroactive grants for Avalanche L1s
This new grant initiative aims to recognize developers who participate in the testnet and successfully launch their projects on the mainnet, empowering them to focus on their core strengths–innovation and development.
More on Retro9000
pic.twitter.com/qNXzosMV14
— Avalanche
This snapshot will establish eligibility for funding; however, developers must launch their projects on the mainnet to access the funds.
Retro9000 seeks to catalyze initial adoption of Avalanche9000, marking one of the most significant upgrades since Avalanche’s inception.
The rationale is evident.
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Impact of Avalanche9000
Avalanche9000 introduced enhancements intended to spur ecosystem expansion, boost scalability, and enhance efficiency, especially in terms of cost and performance.
For instance, the expenses associated with launching Layer-1 chains—previously known as subnets—have plummeted by 99%. Projects no longer need to stake 2,000 AVAX; instead, they are required to pay a monthly fee of 1.33 AVAX per node. Furthermore, C-Chain fees have decreased by 96%.
Avalanche9000 just went live on the Fuji Testnet, and it’s a game-changer for builders.
Here’s what you need to know:
• Launching your own Avalanche L1 is now 99.9% cheaper
• C-Chain fees are down by 96%
• Interchain messaging (ICM) makes L1s actually work togetherAnd the… pic.twitter.com/UVweRyAFwJ
— LORD
On X, the blockchain analytics firm Nansen announced that Avalanche9000 represents a “transformational shift” that “has changed everything.”
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴
Imagine launching a blockchain at a fraction of the cost, with seamless cross-chain communication. That’s what Avalanche9000 delivered.
Base fees on the C-Chain? Slashed from 25 nAVAX to 1 nAVAX. Over 500 new…
— Nansen
Developers now enjoy enhanced flexibility regarding their Layer-1 configurations, with the ability to launch distinct gas tokens, establish earning yield parameters, and define governance structures.
The addition of ACP-77 with the upgrade permits permissionless validation, enabling Layer-1s to function autonomously from Avalanche’s primary chains, thereby diminishing hardware and computational expenses.
In contrast to Solana’s focus on solely enhancing their live protocol, Avalanche9000’s multi-L1 strategy offers modularity that may excel in a fragmented Web3 landscape.
Is It Time for Avalanche to Shine?
The Retro9000 program and the Avalanche9000 upgrade are poised to generate mainnet interest, potentially boosting AVAX prices.
By year’s end, the developers at Ava Labs, the team behind Avalanche, anticipate the launch of hundreds of layer-1s.
Wait… did he just say hundreds of L1s launching on Avalanche next year?@MattSchmenk shared how Avalanche9000, ICTT, and Avalanche Interchain Messaging are setting the stage for a surge of new L1s in 2025 at a recent @Token_Relations webinar.
Full stream
— Avalanche
The increase in developers utilizing Avalanche9000 features comes at a pivotal time.
Recently, VanEck has registered for an Avalanche ETF in Delaware, laying the groundwork for a potential submission to the United States SEC.
— Crypto token Metrics (@tokenmetricsinc) March 11, 2025
If this occurs and the filing is authorized, this ETF will provide institutions a chance to access AVAX directly without needing to manage private keys or navigate cryptocurrency exchanges.
VanEck will also collaborate with a regulated custodian like Coinbase Prime—already employed by spot Bitcoin and ETH ETF issuers like BlackRock—for secure private key management.
There is strong confidence for this reason. Should AVAX maintain base level at $15, prices might rebound, potentially surpassing $30 in upcoming sessions, marking it as one of the top cryptocurrencies for investors to consider in 2025.
Retro9000 Grant Initiative Attracting Developers, Is It Time For Avalanche (AVAX) To Shine?
- More than 150 initiatives launching on Avalanche through the Retro9000 grant initiative
- Avalanche has recently launched Avalanche9000. Hundreds of layer-1s are expected to develop on the chain
- With VanEck filing for an Avalanche ETF in Delaware, analysts are bullish. Will AVAX surpass $30?
The post Over 150 Initiatives Building on Retro9000 Testnet: Is It Time for Avalanche (AVAX) to Shine? appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
