Three days after the May 14 announcement, Pi Coin has given up its gains, dropping to $0.70 at the time of writing. The token is now the worst performer among the top 100 coins today, down 19% in the past 24 hours and more than 50% below its short-term peak of $1.50 reached just before the reveal.
The sharp decline confirms the market’s reaction to the launch of Pi Network Ventures as a “sell the news” event. While the announcement introduced a $100 million investment program – structured to support startups building on Pi and held in both USD and Pi tokens – traders have been preparing for something else.
In the days leading up to the reveal, speculation around a major exchange listing had gained momentum, particularly involving Binance. No such listing occurred, and Binance went on to highlight three unrelated projects for its Alpha program on the same day.
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What the Announcement Actually Introduced
The May 14 announcement confirmed the official launch of Pi Network Ventures, an initiative backed by the Pi Foundation and aimed at funding startups and businesses that integrate or promote the use of Pi. According to the team’s blog post, the capital pool includes up to $100 million, with the goal of accelerating adoption and building out the utility layer of the Pi ecosystem.
The foundation stated that funds for the initiative will be drawn from the 10% of Pi supply reserved for foundation-related activities. Pi Network Ventures plans to operate like a traditional venture capital fund, targeting early- to mid-stage companies across sectors including AI, FinTech, social platforms, gaming, e-commerce, and more. Investments will be denominated in USD terms, but most funding will be issued in Pi tokens to align incentives with ecosystem development.
What sets the program apart from typical crypto grant structures is its scope. The team is aiming to bring in not just Web3-native developers, but also traditional startups with use cases that connect Pi to real-world consumer experiences. According to the announcement, these companies would gain capital, exposure to Pi’s large and KYC-verified user base, and strategic value from being early participants in the open network phase.
Market Reaction Suggests Mismatch in Expectations
Although the venture program reflects a clear strategic direction for the project, the market response has been overwhelmingly negative. Pi has now fallen over 30% since the announcement was made public.
The overall price structure suggests that the recent rally – from $0.60 on May 8 to over $1.50 on May 12 – was driven almost entirely by expectations of a different type of development, most likely related to liquidity and exchange access.
From a broader view, however, Pi remains slightly above where it was before the teaser tweet that first hinted at the May 14 reveal. On May 8, Pi was trading around $0.60. Even after the retracement, current prices are still roughly 15% higher, indicating that the community remains engaged, even if the last catalyst didn’t meet short-term trading expectations.
Looking Forward
While the price action confirms that Pi Network Ventures did not deliver what traders were hoping for, it also suggests that Pi still draws attention when announcements are made. The recent surge and decline were condensed into a one-week window, showing that price can move quickly under the right conditions.
From a long-term perspective, the $100 million venture program could prove useful in expanding the utility of the token – especially if real companies begin integrating Pi into services and platforms. But for now, the absence of major exchange listings or ecosystem development news has caused the market to reset.
Whether Pi can regain momentum will likely depend on future developments that offer tangible impact to holders – either through liquidity, utility, or both. For now, the network has made its direction clear – what happens next will depend on execution.
Read also: Can Pi Network Token Reach $1,000? A Serious Analysis
