An open and decentralized protocol for data sovereignty, Vana unlocks user-owned data as a new digital asset class in the global AI economy.

The Vana network is an EVM-compatible layer-1 blockchain designed to restore individual control over personal data and enable user-owned AI through private and secure data transactions at individual and collective levels. In an era where artificial intelligence is driving immense value from user data, Vana ensures that data creators—individuals—capture a fair share of the value generated while enabling researchers to access unique datasets.

By combining blockchain coordination, privacy-preserving technologies, and tokenized economic incentives, Vana enables users to maintain full control over their data while contributing to collective data assets that power AI and other applications.

The VANA tokenomics are designed to align incentives across all participants in the Vana network—validators, DLP creators, stakers, and community members. By prioritizing early data liquidity, supporting robust contributions through DLPs, and fostering decentralized governance, Vana aims to unlock the full potential of user-owned data and AI technologies.

With clear incentives for participation, carefully planned emissions, and a focus on long-term sustainability, Vana is creating a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem where individuals and communities can realize the true value of their data. The $VANA token serves as the foundation for this transformative vision, empowering users to take control of their data while driving innovation in AI and beyond.

Token Utility

$VANA is the native token of the Vana Network, powering its ecosystem and supporting secure, decentralized data transactions. It plays a central role in the network's multi-token ecosystem through the following use cases:

Network Security

Validators stake $VANA to secure the blockchain, ensuring reliable transaction validation and operational stability. Validators receive staking rewards for their role in maintaining the network's integrity. However, during Phase 1 of the network, all Layer 1 validator rewards will be redirected to a public goods fund to support the broader ecosystem.

Transaction Fees

$VANA is used to pay for all network transactions, including data-related operations, smart contract executions, and interactions with DataDAOs. This establishes $VANA as the medium of exchange for activities within the ecosystem.

DataDAO Staking

Users stake $VANA in DataDAOs and earn emissions to support DataDAOs that add valuable data capital to the ecosystem. Staked $VANA also determines the top 16 DataDAOs that are eligible to earn rewards for their stakers and their community, leveraging natural competition to drive performance and data quality.

For more information on DataDAO Rewards please see here

Default Data Access Currency

Accessing datasets managed by DataDAOs uses $VANA by default, which can be swapped for other tokens as desired by the buyer, seller, or agent. These tokens unlock datasets for use in applications by researchers, developers, and businesses.

Trading Pair

$VANA serves as the primary trading pair for all tokens issued by DataDAOs, facilitating seamless exchange and interoperability across the ecosystem.

Governance

$VANA holders actively participate in the decentralized governance of the Vana Network, voting on proposals and influencing key decisions. This supports decentralized decision-making and broad community involvement.

At genesis, the Vana Foundation is responsible for the stewardship of the VANA token and treasury. Governance of the treasury will expand to other network stakeholders and contributors through the Vana DAO. Governance will progressively transition to community control, ensuring a fair and inclusive approach to managing the ecosystem.This will expand the scope of decision-making, allowing participants to help shape the network’s direction and manage key parameters, such as reward structures and emissions.

Data Token Ecosystem

The Vana Network supports a dynamic ecosystem where DataDAOs can issue their own tokens tied to specific datasets or rights. $VANA serves as the foundational token that interconnects these activities, fostering collaboration and enabling a robust data economy.

Vana Supply and Distribution

The total supply of VANA is capped at 120 million tokens, distributed as follows:

Community

The Community allocation focuses on fostering participation and rewarding contributors in the Vana Network. This includes rewards for high-quality data contributions to DataDAOs, airdrops to early adopters, and support to developers building on Vana. Future incentives will ensure sustained engagement and community alignment with Vana’s vision.

Ecosystem

The Ecosystem allocation will ensure sustainability of the Vana protocol through grants and rewards that drive long-term growth of the Vana network. Grants will be allocated to activities including DataDAO bootstrapping, support for new DataDAO tokens, network partnerships and block rewards to incentivize network decentralization, innovation and adoption.

Investors

Early supporters with a 4 year vest (1-year cliff plus 3 year unlock).

Core Contributors

The team that has worked tirelessly to help bring Vana from concept to reality, and will continue to provide support for the development of protocol. All tokens distributed as part of the Core Contributors allocation are subject to a 5 year vest (1-year cliff and 4 year unlock).

Phases

VANA emissions are structured to align with the network’s growth trajectory, distributed across four 6-month phases:

Phase 1: Build Data Liquidity (0-6 months)

• Focus: Bringing data contributors and Data DAOs ; Incentivize DataDAOs and onboard users.
• Emissions: Majority directed to DataDAO creators and rewards to early data contributors to bootstrap adoption.

Phase 2: Accelerate AI Innovation and Applications (6-12 months)

• Focus: Encourage creation of AI agents with collectively owned models.
• Emissions: Begin incorporating fee revenue to fund emissions; rewards for high-value data contributors and developers creating new AI applications.

Phase 3: Decentralization and Governance (12-18 months)

• Focus: Transition to community governance and increase user rewards.
• Emissions: Begin tapering emissions, relying more on transaction fees.
  Enable community-driven control over rewards and key parameters.

Phase 4: Network Expansion (18-24 months)

• Focus: Drive ecosystem sustainability and improve cross-DLP integrations.
• Emissions: Shift to demand-driven rewards with steady-state deflation.