Pi Network co-founder Chengdiao Fan used his recent attendance at Consensus 2026 in Miami to explain how Pi Network plans to break away from the typical crypto model that primarily focuses on speculation and token funding.
In his keynote, Hwang said the crypto industry still suffers from “too much value extraction without equivalent value creation,” arguing that many projects raise money initially but fail to provide any meaningful utility afterwards.
“There are tokens that are primarily used for fundraising without any real product innovation,” Huang said. “People can easily and instantly access capital without having to do the hard work of actually completing the building.”
Fan said Pi Network is trying to solve that problem by aligning cryptographic tools with real business, product innovation, and long-term user engagement.
At Consensus 2026 in Miami, @PiCoreTeam co-founder Dr. Chengdiao Fan issued a bold message: the era of “quick exits” in cryptocurrencies is over. $Pi’s large verified human network is poised to become the standard in the digital economy.
Highlights:
Proof of humanity: Over 18 million people have undergone KYC… pic.twitter.com/SAwKT29aw1
— Justin Wu (@hackapreneur) May 8, 2026
Pi Launchpad designed to stop the “quit now” culture
A large part of Fan’s presentation focused on Pi Launchpad, a new ecosystem model for projects built on Pi’s Layer 1 blockchain.
Huang explained that Pi Launchpad is very different from traditional cryptocurrency Launchpads because the funds invested by users do not go directly to the project team. Instead, those proceeds are permanently deposited in a liquidity pool.
“This not only addresses the fundamental issue of the quick exit problem, but also helps provide a healthy and stable start for the token,” Fan explained.
He also said that a project must already have a working app or product before launching tokens within the Pi ecosystem.
“A prerequisite to launching with Pi Launchpad is having a working product,” she added.
Fan also explained that users who actively engage with the product will receive favorable access and benefits during the token launch, which will help align users and builders for long-term ecosystem growth.
Pi focuses on users, AI, and real-world utility
Huang repeatedly emphasized that Pi’s scale is one of its biggest advantages.
According to her, Pi has more than 60 million engaged users worldwide, more than 18 million KYC-verified users, and about 16.5 million active wallets already operating on mainnet.
“User acquisition is the foundation of utility creation,” Huang said. “No matter how sophisticated a product’s features are, without users there will be no meaningful usage or network effects.”
She also highlighted Pi’s growing role in AI infrastructure and human authentication systems. Mr. Huang revealed that more than 526 million human verification tasks have been completed by more than 1 million users through Pi’s KYC network.
“This large, distributed workforce has the potential to provide human-involved processes for AI,” she explained.
What impact does this have on the price of the Pi?
Huang’s speech comes during a big week for Pi Network. Pi trading volume has surged more than 20% in the past 24 hours ahead of a May 15th network upgrade that could introduce smart contract functionality.
Pi recently rose from around $0.169 to $0.1728, but if buying momentum continues to build around the upgrade story, a break above the $0.187 resistance level could pave the way for $0.22.
