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UPDATE: See Exponent frequently asked questions (FAQ) below.
We’ve been saying for a few months now that Linea is the L2 where Ethereum wins and ETH capital grows, which is an exciting mission to realize on its own, but it also means pushing the entire L2 landscape into a new era of sustainability. Linea hopes to lead the way in becoming, as Declan Fox recently put it: “a real, self-funding economy.”
To accelerate this mission and reward the next generation of foundational dapps, we are excited to introduce Linea Exponent.
Linea Exponent is a 3-month growth program designed to permissionlessly reward the apps that scale the fastest and bring the most users into the ecosystem. From November 04, 2025, to January 30, 2026, developers around the world will launch and scale the most impactful apps and tokens on Linea.
Exponent eliminates the old builder bureaucracy: no judges, pitch decks, or panel votes. Your app, your users, and your token are the only metrics that matter: all onchain, verified, and rewarded.
The mechanism for success is simple and transparent: Your app’s rank is determined by the number of transactions from verified users (users must verify their humanity through Sumsub to count).
To win, developers simply need to deploy or migrate their app to Linea, register on the Linea Developer Hub, and compete as every verified user transaction moves them up the Exponent leaderboard.
What “Verified User Transaction” Means
A verified user transaction is any onchain transaction made by a wallet that has completed a Proof of Humanity check using Linea’s Proof of Humanity (POH). Only transactions from verified wallets count toward the leaderboard — filtering out spam and bots so only genuine user engagement matters.
Top performers unlock rewards from the Consensys ecosystem like subscriptions to Infura and Web3Auth, subsidized smart contract audits, access to core engineers, and priority support channels, as well as direct support to launch their tokens with liquidity seeded on Etherex. Linea is also looking at potential long-term support for high caliber winners – meaning your dapp could even be the next Etherex.
The total prize pool for the program is $250,000 for the top 42 teams, alongside fast-track access to broader Linea ecosystem funding opportunities. Winners also gain global visibility, features on Linea social media and livestreams, and exclusive access to selective in-person events and a founders dinner with Linea leadership.
Exponent is also an engine for growth that directly reinforces Linea’s core economic model. On Linea, every transaction fuels a unique dual-burn mechanism designed to strengthen both ETH and the ecosystem. Any increase in onchain activity, means more revenue for Linea. All user fees are paid in ETH. Twenty percent of net gas fees (after Layer 1 costs) are burned, directly reducing ETH supply. The remaining eighty percent of gas fees are used to burn LINEA. Thus, increased onchain activity means more gas burn and benefit for token holders. This creates a direct economic link between network usage and value accrual.
This is how Linea (and other L2s) can become sustainable, self-funding economies and simultaneously strengthen Ethereum to step into its new role at the center of the global economy.
Your idea can play a key role in this transition and earn your team rewards in the process.
Your users decide your rank. Your app defines the next chapter of Ethereum. Everyone wins.
Believe in your project? Believe in SomETHing? Register for Exponent now.
Who can apply?
Any project can apply–even memes! Transactions are measured via contract entry points. This can include contracts for your app, token, or NFTs.
Exponent celebrates real onchain activity from every project. To make those interactions count, Proof of Humanity verification happens at the wallet level for people interacting with your app or contract. See more under the PoH requirement section below.
What do I need to fill out to get published?
You need to include your logo, banner (no words or logos in banner image), tagline, description, app link, website, x account, and associated smart contract addresses—so that your verified user activity can be accurately tracked to reflect your Exponent leaderboard position.
The information you provide will populate your app page on the Linea Hub. This is your project’s representation within the Linea ecosystem’s main point of navigation. It will be the main point of visibility across Linea socials, the SomETHing Podcast, and also on MetaMask Portfolio. Make it count!
Do existing apps need to fill out all the questions?
No. Existing apps can access their current Linea Hub card to avoid re-submitting everything. Here is the process for existing apps:
Create an account on the Developer Hub (https://developer.linea.build)
Create a team (a name is enough)
Once prompted to create an app,you should see your designated organization ID displayed as a pop-up.
Share your organization ID and the current app URL on the Hub (e.g.
How are the rankings determined? Transactions, volume, or both?
Rankings are based on verified onchain activity, measured by the number of unique transactions linked to a project’s contracts. Each transaction counts the same, a $1 transaction and a $10,000 transaction are treated equally. Activity is attributed based on which contract receives the transaction:
If the transaction goes to an app contract (like a swap or marketplace), it counts for that app.
If it goes to a token or NFT contract, it counts for that project.
How does Linea keep things fair across all project types?
Exponent uses a per-user weighting system to prevent spam or looping:
First 10 transactions per verified wallet per day = 100%
Next 10 transactions = 20%
Anything beyond 20 = excluded
The per-user weighting removes that advantage. What really matters is the number of real users interacting with your project, not how easily transactions can be repeated.
There might be a disadvantage for new apps versus existing apps, how are you making this an even playing field?
Once there are enough apps registered to the program, we will separate apps into two categories: established and new apps.
Can token or NFT projects join Linea Exponent?
Yes! Token and NFT projects are welcome to join Linea Exponent. Just keep in mind that transactions are attributed to the contract that receives them. For example, if someone swaps your token on a DEX, that transaction counts toward the DEX’s activity.
For apps that already have tokens, are transactions measured by app transactions and token swaps, or just app transactions?
Verified user transactions through your app’s contract entry points count toward your score. This includes interactions with your app’s smart contracts and swaps of your app’s token. Both follow the same counting rules to prevent spam.
What is the Proof of Humanity (PoH) requirement and how does it work?
PoH ensures that Exponent measures activity from real people, not bots or automated scripts. Verification happens at the wallet level, meaning it is your users, not your project, who complete the process through SumSub.
Anyone interacting with your project can verify their humanity directly on Linea Hub by visiting linea.build/hub, selecting Connect, and completing the Verify Humanity steps.
This process confirms that all onchain activity comes from real users, helping keep Exponent fair and ensuring that every project’s engagement metrics accurately reflect genuine participation.
For privacy, Sumsub never stores facial images. Instead, it keeps only a hashed biometric value that cannot be used to reconstruct a face or identify an individual. This approach preserves privacy and compliance while maintaining secure and trustworthy verification.
Why does Linea Exponent use Proof of Humanity (PoH)?
Linea Exponent rewards builders for the real engagement their communities create. PoH helps make sure that activity comes from genuine people across the Linea ecosystem.
We recently upgraded from our v1 PoH system to a smoother and more user-friendly version on the Linea Hub, powered by Sumsub. This new system improves both the verification experience and the accuracy of results.
Our updated PoH system, now integrated into the Linea Hub and powered by Sumsub, offers a smoother and more user-friendly experience. It verifies two things:
Proof of liveness – confirming the user is a real, living person.
Proof of uniqueness – confirming one wallet = one verified human.
While this adds a short verification step, it’s the most effective way to keep Exponent fair and meaningful. PoH ensures rewards go to genuine community members, strengthening trust across the Linea ecosystem.
Is this a type of grants program?
Yes, you can think about this like a retroactive grant program. This is a way for apps to show their contributions to the network, then get rewarded for it after the program ends.
How will Linea help me grow my project?
Exponent gives your project…
A source of funding with the prize pool allocation for top apps
Visibility across the Linea ecosystem, connects you with active communities, and helps drive verified users to your app
The full prize list can be found here: https://linea.build/exponent
What is the Linea Exponent prize pool?
The Linea Exponent prize pool totals $250,000. Rewards are divided between existing and new apps:
Top 3 Existing Apps – $100,000 total
$50,000 $30,000 $20,000
Top 3 New Apps – $100,000 total
$50,000 $30,000 $20,000
The remaining $50,000 will be distributed among other ranked projects within Exponent.
The prize pool recognizes builders who drive real user participation and help grow the Linea ecosystem through verified, onchain activity.
Afterward, we will connect your team with your existing app card.
Next, update your team with your contract addresses and start getting credit towards Exponent!
My app has been on Linea long before Exponent began. Do my transactions count from before this period?
No, the transactions only count for the period between November 5th 2025 to January 30th 2026.
How do I check my rankings?
There will be a leaderboard featured on the Hub! Stay tuned.
Will the dashboards of the participating apps be open to the public or only to participants?
Yes. There will be a public dashboard on linea.build/hub where anyone can explore participating projects and their performance.
How will you prevent teams from cheating?
We will be monitoring submissions and onchain behavior to detect suspicious patterns. Combined with Proof of Humanity verification, this keeps rankings authentic.
If someone already completed PoH v1, do they need to complete the new Sumsub PoH for their activity to count toward our app’s volume?
Yes. The new Sumsub PoH is separate from the previous v1 PoH system, so your user community will need to complete the new verification for their activity to be counted.
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