Introduction to Sonic
This module introduces you to the origins, leadership, mission, and evolution of Sonic. You’ll learn how Sonic emerged as a powerful new Layer-1 blockchain born from Fantom, why it was rebuilt from scratch, and how its founding team—including leaders like Michael Kong and Andre Cronje—shaped its vision. It sets the stage for everything that follows by unpacking Sonic’s mission to redefine performance, scalability, and developer empowerment in Web3.
Overview of Sonic
Sonic is an ultra-fast, EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain built to redefine what decentralized infrastructure can achieve. Designed from the ground up, it addresses three of the most pressing limitations in legacy blockchains: low throughput, high latency, and complex developer onboarding. Instead of evolving incrementally, Sonic takes a bold leap by delivering a fully reimagined architecture that emphasizes speed, scalability, and seamless integration.
At its core, Sonic enables sub-second finality, allowing transactions to be confirmed and finalized nearly instantly. This level of performance is not theoretical — Sonic has demonstrated up to 400,000 transactions per second (TPS) in controlled environments, a figure that dramatically outpaces many leading blockchain platforms. Much of this performance is attributed to SonicVM, the network’s custom virtual machine, which is optimized for rapid execution and application stability.
Sonic retains full Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility. This makes it accessible to developers already working in Ethereum’s ecosystem, as it supports popular smart contract languages like Solidity and Vyper. By lowering the barrier to entry for developers while offering unmatched speed, Sonic strikes a rare balance between usability and power.
More than just a technical upgrade, Sonic represents a strategic repositioning of what Layer-1 chains can be. It introduces new economic models designed to support long-term growth. One of these is its Fee Monetization (FeeM) program, which rewards developers directly by allowing them to earn a portion of the fees generated by their dApps. Rather than focusing purely on network-level value accrual, Sonic redistributes economic incentives toward builders, fostering sustainable innovation.
Sonic’s formal unveiling took place in August 2024. While it emerged from the legacy of Fantom, it is not a simple rebrand. It is a fundamentally new chain, purpose-built to overcome the architectural limits Fantom had encountered. Users and developers from Fantom can seamlessly migrate, with FTM tokens upgradeable 1:1 into Sonic’s new native asset, the S token. This smooth migration ensures that the community remains intact while gaining access to a superior infrastructure.
With its robust foundations, Sonic is positioned to support the next generation of decentralized applications. Whether in decentralized finance (DeFi), blockchain gaming, or NFTs, Sonic aims to deliver the kind of seamless, scalable experience that Web3 has long promised but struggled to realize.
Founding Team and Leadership
Michael Kong – Chief Executive Officer
Michael Kong has guided Sonic since its early days under the Fantom brand. With a background in software and blockchain engineering, Michael’s leadership has been critical in aligning technical milestones with real-world usability. His focus on performance and scalability continues to shape Sonic’s roadmap.
David Richardson – Executive Chairman
David Richardson provides strategic direction and operational oversight. His decades of experience in finance and governance allow Sonic to navigate partnerships, regulations, and investor relations with maturity and foresight — a rare asset in the blockchain space.
Andre Cronje – Chief Technology Officer
Known across the crypto industry for founding Yearn Finance, Andre Cronje brings his deep expertise in smart contract architecture and DeFi systems to Sonic. His influence can be seen throughout the platform, particularly in its modularity and efficiency.
Prof. Bernhard Scholz – Chief Research Officer
A prominent academic in programming languages and compiler design, Professor Scholz leads the development of SonicVM. His contributions bring academic-grade precision to the project’s technical execution, allowing Sonic to innovate confidently.
Ecosystem & Community Leads
Sam Harcourt heads business development and ecosystem partnerships. Ash V. Khatibi leads marketing and community engagement, ensuring Sonic’s messaging resonates clearly across both Web2 and Web3 audiences. DeFi growth is championed by Yohaan, while developer relations are led by Seg — together building a vibrant, grassroots-driven ecosystem.
Mission and Vision
Sonic’s mission is deeply rooted in the desire to create the fastest, most scalable, and developer-friendly blockchain infrastructure without compromising decentralization. It’s not merely another Layer-1 blockchain trying to improve on existing models — Sonic is an ambitious reimagination of what a blockchain can be when performance, composability, and accessibility are prioritized from the ground up. At its core, Sonic seeks to break the conventional trade-offs that have long held back blockchain adoption: slow throughput, clunky user experiences, and the high costs of scaling decentralized applications.
The team behind Sonic envisions a future where blockchain technology doesn’t just live on the fringes of the financial world or within niche developer circles. Instead, they see a world where dApps run as seamlessly as traditional apps, where finality is achieved in under a second, and where users and developers aren’t constantly hindered by gas fees, lags, or limited tooling. This vision is especially evident in Sonic’s architectural decisions — from its radically improved consensus mechanism to the creation of SonicVM, a virtual machine engineered for speed and resilience.
One of the clearest expressions of Sonic’s vision lies in its commitment to true composability at scale. In Web3, composability means that applications can interact with each other like building blocks — a concept that is central to DeFi and interoperable dApps. However, this becomes exponentially harder as networks grow in size and complexity. Sonic is designed to maintain this composability even at extremely high throughput, ensuring that speed never comes at the cost of interconnectivity. By making its blockchain EVM-compatible and enabling sub-second finality, Sonic creates a fertile ground for complex applications to work together fluidly and instantly.
Another key part of Sonic’s mission is to empower developers — not just technically, but economically. The introduction of Fee Monetization (FeeM), where developers can earn a share of the fees generated by their dApps, reflects a broader commitment to sustainability and fairness in ecosystem design. Sonic envisions an ecosystem where innovation is rewarded directly, not just through speculative token models but through long-term, built-in revenue streams. This economic model shifts the power dynamic in blockchain development, placing builders at the center of the value chain.
Sonic also aims to become a leading infrastructure for the next generation of decentralized services, particularly in finance, gaming, and digital ownership through NFTs. These sectors demand high-speed, low-latency environments — and traditional chains have often fallen short. Sonic envisions a future where play-to-earn games don’t suffer from lag, where NFT marketplaces process sales instantly, and where DeFi users experience the same seamlessness they expect from modern financial apps. It’s not about matching Web2 standards — it’s about surpassing them, while staying true to the decentralized ethos.
Lastly, Sonic’s vision is inclusive and long-term. It isn’t just focused on short-term hype or trends. It’s building infrastructure that can scale globally, work across chains, and support a vibrant, sustainable digital economy. The team has taken lessons from Fantom and other Layer-1 ecosystems, learning where friction exists — and eliminating it wherever possible. This clarity of purpose is reflected in everything from their roadmap to the decision to launch a brand-new token and chain, rather than retrofitting a legacy system.
Historical Evolution
Sonic’s journey began with Fantom, launched in 2019 as a fast, affordable, and scalable Layer-1 chain. Built on Lachesis — a DAG-based consensus — Fantom delivered fast confirmations and EVM compatibility, making it a popular choice for DeFi protocols and NFT projects.
Despite its early success, Fantom began to hit architectural ceilings. Attempts to improve speed, finality, and developer tools were constrained by its existing framework. It became increasingly clear that scaling Fantom further would require trade-offs that compromised performance or decentralization.
A Strategic Reinvention
In August 2024, the team announced Sonic, a fresh Layer-1 blockchain designed to break free from those limitations. Unlike a fork or layer-two solution, Sonic was built from scratch, featuring a new consensus model, execution environment, and economic system. Fantom users were invited to migrate their tokens 1:1 to the S token through a dedicated upgrade portal.
Technological Breakthroughs
Sonic introduced major innovations, including SonicVM, a high-speed virtual machine designed for secure and efficient smart contract execution. Coupled with its reimagined consensus architecture, Sonic now supports up to 400,000 TPS with finality under a second — figures that signal a true generational leap.
From Evolution to Revolution
Sonic’s creation was not just a technical overhaul — it was a philosophical reset. The team chose not to patch old systems but to build a new one that could support the future of Web3 at scale. The result is a clean, lean, and highly performant blockchain infrastructure ready to meet the demands of both developers and users around the world.
Introduction to Sonic
This module introduces you to the origins, leadership, mission, and evolution of Sonic. You’ll learn how Sonic emerged as a powerful new Layer-1 blockchain born from Fantom, why it was rebuilt from scratch, and how its founding team—including leaders like Michael Kong and Andre Cronje—shaped its vision. It sets the stage for everything that follows by unpacking Sonic’s mission to redefine performance, scalability, and developer empowerment in Web3.
Overview of Sonic
Sonic is an ultra-fast, EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain built to redefine what decentralized infrastructure can achieve. Designed from the ground up, it addresses three of the most pressing limitations in legacy blockchains: low throughput, high latency, and complex developer onboarding. Instead of evolving incrementally, Sonic takes a bold leap by delivering a fully reimagined architecture that emphasizes speed, scalability, and seamless integration.
At its core, Sonic enables sub-second finality, allowing transactions to be confirmed and finalized nearly instantly. This level of performance is not theoretical — Sonic has demonstrated up to 400,000 transactions per second (TPS) in controlled environments, a figure that dramatically outpaces many leading blockchain platforms. Much of this performance is attributed to SonicVM, the network’s custom virtual machine, which is optimized for rapid execution and application stability.
Sonic retains full Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility. This makes it accessible to developers already working in Ethereum’s ecosystem, as it supports popular smart contract languages like Solidity and Vyper. By lowering the barrier to entry for developers while offering unmatched speed, Sonic strikes a rare balance between usability and power.
More than just a technical upgrade, Sonic represents a strategic repositioning of what Layer-1 chains can be. It introduces new economic models designed to support long-term growth. One of these is its Fee Monetization (FeeM) program, which rewards developers directly by allowing them to earn a portion of the fees generated by their dApps. Rather than focusing purely on network-level value accrual, Sonic redistributes economic incentives toward builders, fostering sustainable innovation.
Sonic’s formal unveiling took place in August 2024. While it emerged from the legacy of Fantom, it is not a simple rebrand. It is a fundamentally new chain, purpose-built to overcome the architectural limits Fantom had encountered. Users and developers from Fantom can seamlessly migrate, with FTM tokens upgradeable 1:1 into Sonic’s new native asset, the S token. This smooth migration ensures that the community remains intact while gaining access to a superior infrastructure.
With its robust foundations, Sonic is positioned to support the next generation of decentralized applications. Whether in decentralized finance (DeFi), blockchain gaming, or NFTs, Sonic aims to deliver the kind of seamless, scalable experience that Web3 has long promised but struggled to realize.
Founding Team and Leadership
Michael Kong – Chief Executive Officer
Michael Kong has guided Sonic since its early days under the Fantom brand. With a background in software and blockchain engineering, Michael’s leadership has been critical in aligning technical milestones with real-world usability. His focus on performance and scalability continues to shape Sonic’s roadmap.
David Richardson – Executive Chairman
David Richardson provides strategic direction and operational oversight. His decades of experience in finance and governance allow Sonic to navigate partnerships, regulations, and investor relations with maturity and foresight — a rare asset in the blockchain space.
Andre Cronje – Chief Technology Officer
Known across the crypto industry for founding Yearn Finance, Andre Cronje brings his deep expertise in smart contract architecture and DeFi systems to Sonic. His influence can be seen throughout the platform, particularly in its modularity and efficiency.
Prof. Bernhard Scholz – Chief Research Officer
A prominent academic in programming languages and compiler design, Professor Scholz leads the development of SonicVM. His contributions bring academic-grade precision to the project’s technical execution, allowing Sonic to innovate confidently.
Ecosystem & Community Leads
Sam Harcourt heads business development and ecosystem partnerships. Ash V. Khatibi leads marketing and community engagement, ensuring Sonic’s messaging resonates clearly across both Web2 and Web3 audiences. DeFi growth is championed by Yohaan, while developer relations are led by Seg — together building a vibrant, grassroots-driven ecosystem.
Mission and Vision
Sonic’s mission is deeply rooted in the desire to create the fastest, most scalable, and developer-friendly blockchain infrastructure without compromising decentralization. It’s not merely another Layer-1 blockchain trying to improve on existing models — Sonic is an ambitious reimagination of what a blockchain can be when performance, composability, and accessibility are prioritized from the ground up. At its core, Sonic seeks to break the conventional trade-offs that have long held back blockchain adoption: slow throughput, clunky user experiences, and the high costs of scaling decentralized applications.
The team behind Sonic envisions a future where blockchain technology doesn’t just live on the fringes of the financial world or within niche developer circles. Instead, they see a world where dApps run as seamlessly as traditional apps, where finality is achieved in under a second, and where users and developers aren’t constantly hindered by gas fees, lags, or limited tooling. This vision is especially evident in Sonic’s architectural decisions — from its radically improved consensus mechanism to the creation of SonicVM, a virtual machine engineered for speed and resilience.
One of the clearest expressions of Sonic’s vision lies in its commitment to true composability at scale. In Web3, composability means that applications can interact with each other like building blocks — a concept that is central to DeFi and interoperable dApps. However, this becomes exponentially harder as networks grow in size and complexity. Sonic is designed to maintain this composability even at extremely high throughput, ensuring that speed never comes at the cost of interconnectivity. By making its blockchain EVM-compatible and enabling sub-second finality, Sonic creates a fertile ground for complex applications to work together fluidly and instantly.
Another key part of Sonic’s mission is to empower developers — not just technically, but economically. The introduction of Fee Monetization (FeeM), where developers can earn a share of the fees generated by their dApps, reflects a broader commitment to sustainability and fairness in ecosystem design. Sonic envisions an ecosystem where innovation is rewarded directly, not just through speculative token models but through long-term, built-in revenue streams. This economic model shifts the power dynamic in blockchain development, placing builders at the center of the value chain.
Sonic also aims to become a leading infrastructure for the next generation of decentralized services, particularly in finance, gaming, and digital ownership through NFTs. These sectors demand high-speed, low-latency environments — and traditional chains have often fallen short. Sonic envisions a future where play-to-earn games don’t suffer from lag, where NFT marketplaces process sales instantly, and where DeFi users experience the same seamlessness they expect from modern financial apps. It’s not about matching Web2 standards — it’s about surpassing them, while staying true to the decentralized ethos.
Lastly, Sonic’s vision is inclusive and long-term. It isn’t just focused on short-term hype or trends. It’s building infrastructure that can scale globally, work across chains, and support a vibrant, sustainable digital economy. The team has taken lessons from Fantom and other Layer-1 ecosystems, learning where friction exists — and eliminating it wherever possible. This clarity of purpose is reflected in everything from their roadmap to the decision to launch a brand-new token and chain, rather than retrofitting a legacy system.
Historical Evolution
Sonic’s journey began with Fantom, launched in 2019 as a fast, affordable, and scalable Layer-1 chain. Built on Lachesis — a DAG-based consensus — Fantom delivered fast confirmations and EVM compatibility, making it a popular choice for DeFi protocols and NFT projects.
Despite its early success, Fantom began to hit architectural ceilings. Attempts to improve speed, finality, and developer tools were constrained by its existing framework. It became increasingly clear that scaling Fantom further would require trade-offs that compromised performance or decentralization.
A Strategic Reinvention
In August 2024, the team announced Sonic, a fresh Layer-1 blockchain designed to break free from those limitations. Unlike a fork or layer-two solution, Sonic was built from scratch, featuring a new consensus model, execution environment, and economic system. Fantom users were invited to migrate their tokens 1:1 to the S token through a dedicated upgrade portal.
Technological Breakthroughs
Sonic introduced major innovations, including SonicVM, a high-speed virtual machine designed for secure and efficient smart contract execution. Coupled with its reimagined consensus architecture, Sonic now supports up to 400,000 TPS with finality under a second — figures that signal a true generational leap.
From Evolution to Revolution
Sonic’s creation was not just a technical overhaul — it was a philosophical reset. The team chose not to patch old systems but to build a new one that could support the future of Web3 at scale. The result is a clean, lean, and highly performant blockchain infrastructure ready to meet the demands of both developers and users around the world.