Following Sony’s first year of live streaming, Sony is adding support for startups
Sony Group Corp. has made a series of investments in Statale Group, bolstering its stake in the Sonyium blockchain just a year after the network's mainnet launch.
In a Thursday announcement sent to Cointelegraph, Stathale announced an additional $13 million investment from Sony's Innovation Fund. The funding round comes after Sonium transitioned from TestNet testing to live operations, allowing Sony to see how the network performs in real-world scenarios.
Data from Sonium's public blockchain browser shows that the network has completed about 524 million transactions since its mainnet launch in January 2025. At the same time, Nansen data shows that Avalanche and Algorand recorded 442 million and 383 million transactions, respectively. Transaction counts alone do not indicate user adoption or economic activity.
The new investment will increase Sony's exposure after seeing the network activity since its launch, maintaining a long-term approach to its blockchain strategy.
Investment decision that influenced the post-launch performance
A Statale spokesperson told Cointelegraph that Sony's decision was informed by Sony's post-launch performance. This transaction phase and the number of wallets reaches 5.4 million.
“This ecosystem development, combined with the strength of the ongoing collaboration through Sony Block Solutions Labs, shows growth that will encourage Sony's continued investment,” a spokesperson told Cointelegraph.
A spokesperson said the investment will not change Sony's operational or management roles and the partnership structure remains unchanged.
Startale also said that the Startale Dollar (USDSC) stablecoin will be available on the Sonium mainnet. The token is built on M0's platform and is designed to act as a native settlement layer for applications and payments on the network.
Starale declined to disclose valuation details for the next round, describing the investment as the first close of a Series A round.
Related: Sony plans to launch stablecoin in 2026, coming to PlayStation
From testnet testing to live infrastructure
Sony and Stathale first announced Sonium in August 2024 as Ethereum's Layer 2, designed to attract developers around entertainment, gaming and consumer applications. In the year On August 23, 2024, the project is set to be Sony's most direct foray into blockchain infrastructure.
The effort expanded days later with the launch of Minato's public testnet and the Sonium Spark developer incubator. In the year August 28, 2024 Incubator offers funding and support from Sony subsidiaries and Web3 partners, indicating a pragmatic approach rather than a passive investment.
The Sony Network will go live in January 2025, combining non-volatile token (NFT)-based fan engagement tools with Sony's entertainment businesses. In the year January 14, 2025 After the network restricted certain terms due to intellectual property (IP) violations, the startup has drawn mixed reviews.
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