Pipe Network (PIPE)
Unlock Schedule
Pipe Network (PIPE) Token Unlock & Vesting Schedule
The unlock chart above provides a clear visual overview of the Pipe Network (PIPE) token release schedule, showing when and how tokens enter circulation across investor, team, treasury, and community allocations. Understanding these tokenomics dynamics is critical for evaluating potential supply pressure, inflation impact, and market liquidity over time — key factors that can influence PIPE price performance.
Each color segment in the chart corresponds to a specific allocation group described in the Allocations section below. Underlying assumptions and data models used to reconstruct this schedule are explained in detail under Assumptions, while broader utility insights and token use cases are covered in Tokenomics & Utility.
Tokenomics & Utility
The PIPE token is the unit that powers participation and payment on the network. Pipe Network tokenomics are built to connect real usage to rewards while keeping costs predictable for developers.
- Staking and delegated staking: PoP operators stake PIPE to participate and improve their selection odds; token holders can delegate to active nodes to share in rewards. A fixed share of node rewards is reserved for individual stakers via delegation. (docs.pipe.network)
- Payments via Data Credits (DCs): Users convert PIPE into non‑transferable DCs through a burn mechanism. DCs are spent on bandwidth, storage, and premium cache services, and they expire on a 30‑day epoch to help users budget even if the PIPE price moves. (docs.pipe.network)
- Demand‑driven emissions: When DCs are purchased (PIPE burned), the protocol mints PIPE to reward nodes, with emission rates that decline over time. In the current design, rewards are distributed monthly for bandwidth, and 7% of node rewards flow to delegators. (docs.pipe.network)
- Governance: Staked PIPE grants voting power over key parameters such as emissions and service economics. (docs.pipe.network)
Pipe also introduces a marketplace for “priority” services. Developers can bid for faster bandwidth or sticky edge caching for hot content—features that matter for live sports, gaming, or trading dashboards. Because DCs are priced via an oracle and purchased by burning PIPE, network demand links directly to token consumption. In some Firestarter tiers, the team has described pricing that starts at 1 PIPE per GB, which is simple for builders to model. (docs.pipe.network)
In mid‑2025, Pipe Network ran a public sale on CoinList. From June 26 to July 3, an allocation of 30 million PIPE (3% of community supply) was offered with two options. Option 1 and Option 2 used different unlocks and FDV assumptions, and U.S. participation required accredited investor status. These details matter for understanding distribution and early liquidity, but they don’t change how PIPE functions on the network. (pipe.network)
Assumptions
- Supply is inflationary post-TGE; modeled as uncapped for scheduling purposes.
Official tokenomics specify monthly epoch mint caps with disinflation (12% → 1.5% floor) and usage-gated emissions; burns offset supply. Therefore future total supply is not fixed.
- Community allocation includes the CoinList Public Sale (30M PIPE).
Docs define a Community bucket; the CoinList sale is a community distribution. Split between Option 1 and Option 2 was not disclosed publicly; a 50/50 split (15M/15M) is assumed for scheduling.
- Strategic Investors unlock by cliff at TGE + 12 months.
Docs state investor tokens unlock 1 year post-TGE; modeled as a single cliff unlock.
- Core Contributors & Labs vest linearly from TGE + 12 months to TGE + 24 months.
Docs state team tokens unlock 2 years post-TGE with a 1-year cliff followed by linear vesting; interpreted as 12 months linear after the 12-month cliff.
- Ecosystem & Treasury distribution is modeled as 48-month linear from TGE.
No explicit cadence provided; a 4-year linear release is a standard treasury deployment assumption pending governance-defined schedules.
- Year 1 PoUW emissions modeled using 100M circulating at TGE and the docs’ 51.5% of cap maximum realization.
CoinMarketCap showed ~100M circulating at launch; applied doc formula r1=12% cap and 0.515 realized mint bound to produce a numeric Year 1 schedule. Future years omitted due to dependency on realized usage and circulating base.
Allocations
Description
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Pipe Network is a decentralized Content Delivery Network (CDN) on Solana, using hyper-localized Points of Presence (PoPs) and smart routing to reduce latency and deliver content efficiently. It allows permissionless contributors to deploy nodes for fast content distribution.
| Sector: | Media |
| Blockchain: | Solana |