Extending the $DATA Lockup: Building From Proven Ground This update was shared with the DATA Foundation by PIP Labs (Pen Technology Inc.), the core development team behind The DATA network. In February, we delayed the unlock of all locked $DATA tokens by six months. We said then that we wanted unlocks to happen from a position of greater strength, and that the time would let us keep executing against product and revenue before a known supply event reached the market. Today the Board of Directors has approved a second extension, adding 18 months to the timeline. This decision is made from a position we did not have in February: the model is now working, and our investors have reviewed the results and chosen to extend their own lockups alongside us. What’s happened since February? We made an early bet that real-world data would become one of the most valuable inputs in AI, a segment where the leading data companies already total billions in revenue and where the early players already top $100B in valuation, and that conviction is now paying off. The case for extending further rests on what the network has already become. Since February, the network has crossed 100 million data registrations, with new registrations running in the millions per day. That activity now generates daily onchain revenue, up more than 200x from levels just a few weeks ago, which has moved the network into the top 20 by chain fees. These are not projections. They are live, corroborated on public dashboards including DefiLlama where anyone can follow the network's growth as it happens. The foundation underneath those numbers is the work we committed to in February. We rebranded from Story to the DATA Foundation and focused the entire network on real world training data for AI. We launched Trace, the audit layer that gives AI labs the receipts they need to trust the data they train on. We brought Kled onto the network as an anchor contributor, with more partners on the way. In short, the six months did what we hoped they would. The delay bought time to prove the model, and the model is proving out. Why are we extending? The Board has approved an additional 18-month extension to the lockup on all previously locked $DATA tokens. Current unlock date: August 13, 2026 Updated unlock date: February 13, 2028 As with the first extension, this applies only to team, investor, and insider tokens already subject to lockup. There are no changes to total token supply, individual allocations, vesting terms, or legal ownership. The leadership, our board and locked investors are committed to the long-term growth of the project. They have looked at the same onchain numbers anyone can see, and have agreed to extend their own lockups rather than take liquidity while the network is still early in its growth. When the people closest to a network choose to stay locked in it longer, that is the signal worth paying attention to. The reasoning is straightforward. What exists today is the early part of a curve we expect to compound. Matching the token timeline to that curve makes more sense than holding to a date set before the growth existed. Extending the lockup lets us keep executing from a longer runway, keeps supply measured while the network does the work that gives the token its foundation, and ensures unlocks happen from genuine strength rather than proximity to a milestone. Alignment and compliance As with the first extension, the revised lockup terms are enforced through a neutral, automated smart-contract mechanism. The underlying lockup obligations remain legally binding regardless of the technical authorization, and the Foundation does not gain custody of any wallet and cannot move tokens. All affected holders remain subject to binding lockup obligations under their existing agreements. Looking ahead Six months ago we said unlocks should happen from a position of greater strength. That strength is now visible onchain, and the people who know the network best have looked at the same evidence and chosen to stay aligned for longer. Our conviction comes from what the network now does: something measurable, at scale, that AI needs. We will keep sharing our progress in the open, and let the work speak for itself.

Extending the $DATA Lockup: Building From Proven Ground This update was shared with the DATA Foundation by PIP Labs (Pen Technology Inc.), the core development team behind The DATA network. In February, we delayed the unlock of all locked $DATA tokens by six months. We said then that we wanted unlocks to happen from a position of greater strength, and that the time would let us keep executing against product and revenue before a known supply event reached the market. Today the Board of Directors has approved a second extension, adding 18 months to the timeline. This decision is made from a position we did not have in February: the model is now working, and our investors have reviewed the results and chosen to extend their own lockups alongside us. What’s happened since February? We made an early bet that real-world data would become one of the most valuable inputs in AI, a segment where the leading data companies already total billions in revenue and where the early players already top $100B in valuation, and that conviction is now paying off. The case for extending further rests on what the network has already become. Since February, the network has crossed 100 million data registrations, with new registrations running in the millions per day. That activity now generates daily onchain revenue, up more than 200x from levels just a few weeks ago, which has moved the network into the top 20 by chain fees. These are not projections. They are live, corroborated on public dashboards including DefiLlama where anyone can follow the network's growth as it happens. The foundation underneath those numbers is the work we committed to in February. We rebranded from Story to the DATA Foundation and focused the entire network on real world training data for AI. We launched Trace, the audit layer that gives AI labs the receipts they need to trust the data they train on. We brought Kled onto the network as an anchor contributor, with more partners on the way. In short, the six months did what we hoped they would. The delay bought time to prove the model, and the model is proving out. Why are we extending? The Board has approved an additional 18-month extension to the lockup on all previously locked $DATA tokens. Current unlock date: August 13, 2026 Updated unlock date: February 13, 2028 As with the first extension, this applies only to team, investor, and insider tokens already subject to lockup. There are no changes to total token supply, individual allocations, vesting terms, or legal ownership. The leadership, our board and locked investors are committed to the long-term growth of the project. They have looked at the same onchain numbers anyone can see, and have agreed to extend their own lockups rather than take liquidity while the network is still early in its growth. When the people closest to a network choose to stay locked in it longer, that is the signal worth paying attention to. The reasoning is straightforward. What exists today is the early part of a curve we expect to compound. Matching the token timeline to that curve makes more sense than holding to a date set before the growth existed. Extending the lockup lets us keep executing from a longer runway, keeps supply measured while the network does the work that gives the token its foundation, and ensures unlocks happen from genuine strength rather than proximity to a milestone. Alignment and compliance As with the first extension, the revised lockup terms are enforced through a neutral, automated smart-contract mechanism. The underlying lockup obligations remain legally binding regardless of the technical authorization, and the Foundation does not gain custody of any wallet and cannot move tokens. All affected holders remain subject to binding lockup obligations under their existing agreements. Looking ahead Six months ago we said unlocks should happen from a position of greater strength. That strength is now visible onchain, and the people who know the network best have looked at the same evidence and chosen to stay aligned for longer. Our conviction comes from what the network now does: something measurable, at scale, that AI needs. We will keep sharing our progress in the open, and let the work speak for itself.

Source:https://x.com/datafdn/status/2084784058576326958