Retro9000 Explained: Avalanche’s Usage-Based Funding Model Most ecosystems fund ideas. Retro9000 funds actual usage. Built by @Avax, Retro9000 is a retroactive incentive framework where projects earn rewards after proving real on-chain adoption, not before receiving grants. The core signal is simple: AVAX burned through transaction fees. When users interact with a project, transactions occur on-chain. Each transaction burns AVAX as a fee. The more a project is used, the more AVAX is burned — creating a measurable signal of real demand and network utility. Simple flow: Users interact with apps → Transactions happen on-chain → AVAX fees are burned → Usage gets measured → Retro9000 distributes rewards In this system, usage becomes the vote. Retro9000 operates through two distinct tracks with different evaluation logic. 1) Avalanche L1s & Infrastructure Tooling This track targets new Avalanche Layer 1 networks and developer infrastructure projects. These are evaluated quarterly, focusing on long-term ecosystem impact rather than short-term spikes. Metrics may include transactions, validator growth, TVL, monthly active users, interchain messaging (ICM), and overall developer adoption. 2) Avalanche C-Chain Rounds Starting March 2026, C-Chain projects compete in monthly rounds where rankings are primarily based on AVAX burned. A public leaderboard shows which applications generate the most real usage. Reward pools are distributed accordingly, with multipliers like 1.5× boosts for new projects to help emerging builders gain traction. Why does this model matter? Because usage-based funding is harder to game. Instead of marketing hype or narrative-driven grants, builders must create products people genuinely use. Users indirectly decide which projects earn rewards, aligning incentives between builders, users, and the network. And since every transaction burns AVAX, growing ecosystem activity reinforces Avalanche’s economic utility. For builders, the message is simple: build something people actually use — and the network rewards you. #Avalanche $AVAX #Retro9000 #DYOR Resource:- https://t.co/PUiyFgmJgE