Ethereum scales strong, but Lightchain AI leads presale with dev-first design

Ethereum leads blockchain, but Lightchain AI gains $21M presale momentum with AI-native VM and developer focus.

Ethereum continues to lead the market with unmatched scale and network effect, but Lightchain AI is carving its own path, built on presale strength and a developer-focused design. With all 15 presale stages completed and a Bonus Round now active at a fixed price of $0.007, Lightchain AI has already attracted nearly $21 million in committed participation.

Unlike platforms chasing hype, Lightchain AI is anchored in real utility: an AI-native Virtual Machine, transparent governance, and strong incentive tools for builders. This isn’t just a smart contract platform — it’s a full-stack ecosystem gaining real momentum before it even hits the open market.

Ethereum maintains leadership through network scale and institutional support

Ethereum remains the top blockchain in the space in 2025 with large network updates and growing institutional adoption. The latest Pectra upgrade, deployed in May 2025, included e18 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) with the goal of improving scalability and efficiency. Most importantly, it ensured a faster transaction speed, lowered costs, and new staking options for easy investment, which focused on network growth and a loyal community.

There has been a significant amount of buzz around Ethereum from the institutional environment, where major financial players like BlackRock and Apollo Global Management are using the network as a way to tokenize real-world assets. ETH currently leads with more than 50% of the RWA market share, emphasizing its position in this market. This is in addition to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approving spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETF), which is a major step forward in allowing institutional investors access to Ethereum markets and underscores the increased mainstream acceptance of Ethereum.

These and many other developments, combined with Ethereum’s infrastructure maturing each day, affirm Ethereum’s role as a leading platform for decentralized applications (DApps) and financial instruments.

Lightchain AI completes presale phases with strong developer participation

Lightchain AI has completed all 15 presale phases, raising over $21 million and entering its Bonus Round with strong developer participation driving ecosystem momentum. This builder-led engagement isn’t incidental; it’s the result of a clearly structured roadmap and live infrastructure designed to empower contributors.

The Developer Portal is fully active, offering documentation, APIs, and SDKs, while public GitHub repositories will soon go live to ensure full transparency and collaboration. A $150,000 grant pool is already funding tools, dApps, and integrations built on the AIVM.

Decentralized validator and contributor nodes are preparing for launch, reinforcing the platform’s commitment to scalability and security. Lightchain AI isn’t just raising funds — it’s cultivating a network of developers who are actively shaping its future.

Built for innovators: Lightchain AI brings vision to life

Lightchain AI is here to supercharge ideas with its $150,000 Developer Grant Program, offering up to $5,000 per project to push the boundaries of AI and blockchain innovation. Whether building scalable dApps, groundbreaking DeFi protocols, or cutting-edge AI tools, this initiative provides the funding, technical support, and spotlight needed to thrive.

Powered by Lightchain AI’s Ethereum-compatible Layer-1 network, the project is fostering a community of builders ready to transform bold ideas into a decentralized future. Let’s turn vision into reality — together.

For more information on Lightchain AI, visit its website, X, or Telegram.