Project History
From a Cardano-native launchpad (2022) to a multi-chain Web4 AI infrastructure protocol — Astarter's evolution timeline.
Astarter is not a new project. It has operated on Cardano since 2022, first as a native DeFi infrastructure platform · Initial Stake Pool Offering (ISPO), Launchpad, and DEX · and has since evolved into Web4 AI Infrastructure built around ABox nodes and autonomous AI agents.
This page traces that track record. It is a credibility anchor: the protocol, the community, and the institutional backing predate the current AI-agent direction by several years.
Timeline at a Glance
2022 Q3
ISPO v1.0 (AST1) launches on Cardano · epoch 366 (2022-09-27)
2022–2023
ISPO v1.1 transition (TRI reward tiers) · AST1 allocation distributed
2022–2024
Cardano DeFi build-out · Launchpad (IDO, fixed-exchange pools, liquidity mining) and the Astarter DEX (eUTXO AMM)
Ongoing
ISPO v2.0 (AST2) · the current, active stake-to-earn pool (epoch 499 → TBA)
2025 Q3–Q4
ABox node program + testnet · the pivot to Web4 AI Infrastructure
2026 Q3
Mainnet + TGE · $AST goes live
See the Roadmap for forward-looking phases and the ISPO page for full pool details.
The Cardano DeFi Foundation (2022–2024)
Astarter launched as Cardano-native DeFi infrastructure, with three pillars that remain part of the ecosystem today:
ISPO · Astarter's Initial Stake Pool Offering let ADA holders delegate to the Astarter stake pool and earn $AST without giving up custody of their ADA. ISPO v1.0 (AST1) opened at epoch 366 (2022-09-27), followed by a v1.1 transition phase using tiered reward indices. ISPO v2.0 (AST2) is the current, active pool.
Launchpad · A Cardano launchpad for IDOs, with fixed-exchange pools, liquidity mining, and private/whitelist sales designed to give new projects a fair, bot-resistant token launch.
DEX · The Astarter DEX, an automated market maker built on Cardano's eUTXO model with a cross-chain aggregator.
A note on pool tickers. The on-chain Cardano stake-pool tickers from this era · AA1 / AA2 on pool.pm · are immutable and remain unchanged. The pools are referred to by their display labels AST1 / AST2 in current materials. See the ISPO page.
Institutional Backing
From early on, Astarter secured strategic investors and advisors from the Cardano and broader Web3 ecosystem · including lead investors OKX Ventures and EMURGO (the official commercial arm of Cardano), alongside Adaverse, MH Ventures, AV Star Capital, 316VC, CRT Labs, and Megala Ventures.
Full details on the Advisors & Investors and Partnerships pages.
Evolution to Web4 AI Infrastructure (2025 →)
Building on this DeFi foundation, Astarter has expanded into the infrastructure layer for the autonomous AI agent economy:
ABox nodes · plug-and-play compute hardware that runs AI agents and earns compute fees for the operator.
CORE agent layer · autonomous AI agents that execute trades, predictions, and strategies on-chain.
Four-layer architecture · from infrastructure through to user-facing applications (AI DEX, Prediction Market, Data Market, Agent Marketplace).
The existing DeFi products are not replaced · they become demand sources within the AI economy flywheel, with AI agents executing the trading, market-making, and analysis that the DEX and other applications require.
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