Berachain, a Layer-1 blockchain built on the Cosmos ecosystem and compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, has launched its public testnet named Artio. The announcement follows a successful private testnet phase under a non-disclosure agreement, where around 50 teams completed necessary testing within a month.
The Berachain team revealed that over 30 local teams are actively developing on Berachain, with more than 100 teams from other networks, including notable brands such as Pendle, Redacted, Sudoswap, and Abracadabra, planning to join the testnet and mainnet. Berachain’s mainnet is expected to launch in the second quarter of this year, with the final launch anticipated towards the end of the year.
The upcoming mainnet will be supported by storage solutions, inter-blockchain messaging and bridging protocols, and data availability solutions. Post-launch, protocols approved through governance votes will be able to integrate their smart contracts into Berachain’s liquidity pool, attracting liquidity at lower costs and increasing capital efficiency.
The Berachain project, known for its bear-themed crypto initiative, is led by founders with pseudonyms such as Homme Bera, Dev Bear, Papa Bear, and Smokey the Bera. The team of 30 has experience from projects like Sui, Polygon, Mantle, Coinbase, Chainlink, and Aave. Berachain entered the blockchain industry following the NFT project “Bong Bears” and other related collections.
In April last year, Smokey the Bera raised $42 million in a funding round led by Polychain Capital. The round included participants like Hack VC, Shima Capital, Robot Ventures, and Goldentree Asset Management. Initially, the public testnet and potentially the mainnet were expected to launch in 2023. The fundraising began shortly after the collapse of the crypto exchange FTX in November 2022 and concluded swiftly.