In its ongoing mission to empower developers and strengthen the Avalanche ecosystem, Retro9000, the up to $40M retroactive grant program, today announces the C-Chain Round.

Funded by the Avalanche Foundation, the C-Chain Round is focused on rewarding builders who generate genuine on-chain activity on the Avalanche C-Chain, measured by AVAX burned through gas fees.

Since its launch, Retro9000 has awarded over $1.25M in grants to projects building Avalanche Layer 1s and infrastructure tools. With the introduction of the C-Chain Round, the program aims to ignite a new wave of developer activity and user engagement across the network.

“The Retro9000 C-Chain Round is designed to reward what matters most: real usage. By focusing on AVAX burned through onchain activity, we’re supporting builders who are already live, shipping, and contributing meaningfully to the Avalanche ecosystem. This round reflects our belief that sustainable ecosystems are built through execution. By rewarding projects based on measurable onchain activity, we align incentives with long-term growth on Avalanche.”  Nicolas Lemaitre, Board Director, Avalanche Foundation.

How does it work? 

Every transaction on the C-Chain burns AVAX, creating a transparent, data-driven measure of adoption. The more your application is used, the more AVAX it burns - a simple, verifiable signal of real activity. This round rewards the builders generating that activity - the projects users truly value onchain.

Submissions are ranked on a public leaderboard, with points earned through onchain activity, measured AVAX burned through their smart contracts. The more transactions your app drives, the higher you rank on the Retro9000 leaderboard, with the top 40 projects at the end of each round eligible for rewards. 

Scoring remains, but the input has changed. In previous rounds, a project’s score was driven by wallet-based voting. In the C-Chain Round, a project’s score is driven by C-chain usage - specifically, AVAX burned through C-Chain transactions by the users supporting that project.

“The next phase of growth on Avalanche will be driven by builders who execute, ship live products, and generate real usage from day one. That’s how resilient networks are built - and how builders win on Avalanche.”- Mehmet Dogan, Program Manager, Avalanche Foundation. 

To support new entrants, the first round introduces multipliers that apply directly to a project’s score, boosting its position on the leaderboard.

A points multiplier will be available for ‘new’ projects joining the ecosystem, while additional multipliers may appear throughout the round to recognize innovation across specific verticals and emerging use cases.

Referral Program

Referrers can earn up to $3,000 in AVAX per project, per round. This system helps expand Avalanche’s ecosystem by rewarding both builders and community members who bring in high-quality projects.

Getting a project referral code:

→ Visit retro9000.avax.network

→ Connect your wallet

→ Submit your details

→ Claim your referral link

→ Share it with builders you believe in

Join now

If you’re a builder, this is your opportunity to be rewarded for shipping real products on the  Avalanche C-Chain.

If you’re part of the community, your usage, referrals, and support directly influence which projects rise to the top.

Visit: https://retro9000.avax.network/

Disclaimer: Retro9000 grants are distributed by the Avalanche Foundation based on verified on-chain activity. Rewards are not investment returns and carry no financial guarantees.