Aptos is a Layer 1 Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain that uses Move, a Rust-based smart contract programming language originally developed by engineers from Meta’s Diem blockchain project. The blockchain aims to drive mainstream adoption of web3 by supporting decentralized applications (DApps) designed to address real-world challenges. Aptos leverages parallel execution to achieve a theoretical throughput of over 150,000 transactions per second (TPS). In 2022, Aptos secured $200 million in a seed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with participation from Tiger Global, Multicoin Capital, and others. Later that year, it raised an additional $200 million in a Series A round backed by investors including Dragonfly, Apollo Global, Franklin Templeton, Animoca, and Jump Crypto. Binance Labs also made a strategic investment in Aptos, though the amount was not disclosed. The Aptos mainnet officially launched in October 2022, following its genesis event earlier that month. *(Note: References to external links have been removed to maintain an evergreen format.)* Aptos was founded by Mo Shaikh and Avery Ching, both former Meta employees. Shaikh serves as the company's CEO and brings extensive experience in financial services, blockchain, and scaling products, with a background in private equity and venture capital markets. Ching holds the role of CTO at Aptos. As a software engineer, he previously worked as a principal software engineer at Meta. The two collaborated on Meta's Diem blockchain project before launching Aptos Labs after Diem was discontinued. Given their shared history, Aptos incorporates certain technical elements from Diem. The Aptos team also includes researchers, designers, and engineers who previously worked on the Diem project. The Aptos network is designed to process over 150,000 transactions per second (tps), significantly higher than Ethereum's mainnet, which typically handles around 12 to 15 tps. This high throughput is achieved through Block-STM, a parallel execution engine that uses a Byzantine Fault-Tolerant (BFT) Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. Unlike many blockchains that process transactions sequentially—where a single failed transaction or network congestion can slow down the entire chain—Aptos processes transactions simultaneously and validates them afterward. Failed transactions are either re-executed or aborted, managed by the blockchain's software transactional memory libraries, which detect and resolve conflicts. Aptos is built using Move, a smart contract programming language that offers advantages over Solidity, the language commonly used in Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-based systems. Move enables easily verifiable blockchain commands, flexible private key management, and a modular design. The platform supports new use cases through its upgradeable and configurable architecture. Additionally, its native sharding feature enhances horizontal throughput scalability, improving overall user experience. APT is the native token of the Aptos blockchain, with a total supply of 1 billion tokens. The current circulating supply is 130 million APT. The token distribution is allocated as follows: - **Community**: 51.02% - **Core Contributors**: 19.00% - **Foundation**: 16.50% - **Investors**: 13.48% Within the Community allocation, approximately 80% is held by the Aptos Foundation, with the remainder managed by Aptos Labs. These tokens are designated for community growth initiatives and Aptos Foundation programs, with the remaining supply unlocking monthly over a ten-year period. Tokens allocated to investors and core contributors follow a four-year vesting schedule starting from the mainnet launch. Additionally, the Aptos team distributed 20 million APT tokens to early testnet users in an airdrop. For further details on Aptos tokenomics, refer to the official Aptos Foundation resources. LayerZero Labs, an on-chain user application protocol, introduced the Aptos Bridge. This blockchain bridge enables users to transfer ETH, USDC, and USDT from Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, and Optimism to Aptos. Aptos utilizes two consensus protocols: Proof-of-Stake and AptosBFT. AptosBFT shares similarities with DiemBFT, which was initially designed for Diem. The term "BFT" stands for Byzantine Fault-Tolerant, meaning a network can continue functioning normally even if some participants become unresponsive or act maliciously. AptosBFT is a customized consensus algorithm derived from the HotStuff protocol. The algorithm examines the on-chain state and autonomously adjusts leader rotations to account for inactive validators, ensuring network security without requiring manual intervention. The APT token is available for trading on several major exchanges, such as Binance, Huobi, KuCoin, and Coinbase. (Note: Links to exchanges have been removed to maintain an evergreen format while preserving the factual information.) Here’s a clearer and more concise version of your text while preserving the original meaning: --- **Learn more about Sui**—a Move-based layer-1 blockchain developed by former Diem engineers. **Explore the differences between modular and monolithic blockchains** to understand their key distinctions. **Stay updated on APT price movements** with real-time tracking. **Interested in crypto?** Check out our educational resources for insights into the blockchain space. --- This revision removes promotional links, avoids time-sensitive references, and keeps the content factual and evergreen. Let me know if you'd like any further refinements! Aptos raised significant funding before launching its mainnet in October 2022. Before the mainnet release, the project ran the "Aptos Incentivized Testnet (AIT)" campaign, which began in May. The testnet consisted of four stages: AIT1, AIT2, AIT3, and AIT4. The campaign aimed to engage developers, node operators, and auditors to build applications and test the network's resilience ahead of the mainnet launch. By September 2022, Aptos completed the AIT3 phase, leading to the final testnet. During these stages, the network integrated more than 100 projects, including Solrise Finance, PayMagic, Pontem Network, and MartianDAO. The mainnet launched on October 18, 2022, marking Aptos as the first blockchain built on Move technology. At launch, the network operated on AptosBFT (version 4), a Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) consensus protocol. Development was already underway for AptosBFT (version 5).