It’s been more than 180 days since Worldcoin publicly launched — and its futuristic-looking Orb device continues to evolve, Alex Blania, CEO and co-founder of Tools for Humanity, shared exclusively with TechCrunch.
„The new round is coming and the next iterations will be very different,” Plania said during a fireside chat at the StrictlyVC event on Wednesday. He noted that he joined the company four years ago and that Orb’s early design dates back to his career at the firm.
The next Orb will come out in the first half of this year and will feature alternate colors and form factors in an effort to „look more friendly”. Overall, it’s going to look „way”. [more] Tune Down” and „like an Apple product,” he added.
Tools for Humanity is the developer of WorldCoin, a crypto project co-founded by Plania, Sam Altman, and Max Novendstern. To date, a16z has raised approximately $250 million from Bain Capital Crypto and other investors.
The startup is well-known across the venture capital and crypto spaces for its eyebrow-raising spherical device that scans people’s irises and assigns them a „World ID,” allowing users to access Worldcoin’s app and digital passport. The verification process prevents individuals from proving their identities and creating multiple accounts.
Plania joked that many people in America are „obsessed” with the orb’s design — and to be fair, that makes good sense. Its primary device is a five-pound chromatic bowling ball-sized device that looks like something out of a science fiction movie. People either „hate it or love it,” he added.
While some were skeptical during the StrictlyVC event in downtown San Francisco, „a couple dozen” attendees had their irises scanned in exchange for a World ID, according to Tools for Humanity, which manned a booth at the event. The employee added that there is „field testing” for the new bullet.
During its beta-testing period, the program focused on adoption in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Nairobi, Kenya; Lisbon, Portugal; and Bangalore, India. As a result, it faced some backlash from critics who argued that it targeted developing economies. Separately, Worldcoin went on a world tour last year, hitting major cities like Tokyo, Miami, New York City and San Francisco in an effort to expand its presence.
In the past seven days, more than 190,000 new accounts were created and a total of 3.13 million people registered with Worldcoin. Website.
„Exploration is very simple. We’re running towards billions of users as fast as we can,” Plania said.
