Pi Launchpad has updated its participation flow and model, incorporating data and feedback from the first Testnet token (IRRA) that launched on Pi Day 2026.
The purpose of the test token launches is to introduce Pioneers to the new ecosystem token mechanics and to educate the community on how to participate in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) mechanisms, while collecting insightful data and Pioneer feedback to help improve and refine the Launchpad design and mechanics for the Mainnet version.
During the first Launchpad test token, over 478,000 participating Pioneers staked a total of 36.05 million Test-Pi, over 198,000 Pioneers committed 14.72 million Test-Pi, and 11.71 million of the committed Test-Pi applied toward token acquisition for 10 million IRRA tokens.
These results provided useful data and highlighted areas where the Launchpad experience needed improvement. A few of the findings are as follows:
- Some Pioneers found it difficult to understand the relationship between, and the effect of, staking and committing.
- The order of the staking and committing actions created drop-offs: some users staked Test-Pi but did not proceed to commit Test-Pi, or did not commit enough relative to their stake, to actually participate in the token acquisition process.
- The first launch introduced too many moving parts and complexity around staking, committing, and how the two interact, making it harder for some users to decide how to allocate their intended participation amount.
A second Testnet token, SLICE, has been released to test these improvements, including through updates to the user interface, user experience, and the Launchpad mechanism. And, unlike the first test, SLICE is connected to a real working app, Slice of Pi, rather than a demo, enabling Pi to collect genuine engagement data that can better inform the Launchpad design ahead of a Mainnet version. Note that SLICE is a Testnet token and will never go onto Mainnet.
A Simpler, Clearer Participation Flow
In the first test token launch, staking and committing were separate steps on separate screens. Pioneers had to manually enter a stake amount, then separately enter a commitment amount, while also understanding how the two actions affected their participation.
To improve upon this, participation in the second test token is centered around the commitment amount, which has the direct effect on token acquisition. A Pioneer first chooses how much Test-Pi they want to commit, either through quick-select options or by entering a custom amount. The Launchpad then automatically calculates the related “fair-access hold” based on a fixed formula, previously referred to as the stake or PiPower, and shows the commitment amount, the hold amount, and the total together before confirmation. Both transactions are then submitted in sequence from a single screen.
The fair-access hold is designed to support broader token distribution and help reduce the chance of whales crowding out participants with smaller commitment amounts. The required hold scales progressively with the amount a Pioneer chooses to commit: larger commitments require proportionally larger holds, which helps preserve access for participants with smaller intended commitments. The term “hold” also reflects the temporary nature of the mechanism: the fair-access hold is not a purchase of the issuing project’s token, and the held Pi remains the participating Pioneer’s Pi and is returned after the hold duration.
The Launchpad model has also been updated. Instead of being fully dynamic based on participant behavior, the ratio between the hold and commit follows a deterministic curve. This is meant to reduce the number of moving parts, simplify how hold and commit interact, and preserve the intended fair-access effect of the hold.
Additional updates include engagement benefits being framed as a percentage bonus on the tokens a Pioneer receives, rather than as a discount on the token price, for clarity. The “detail view” is also now a single scrollable screen instead of a hub with three separate action pages.
Together, these changes are intended to make the Launchpad easier to follow, especially for Pioneers who are learning these mechanics for the first time. Thus, there needs to be a second test token launch to test these new updates and assess if they achieve the goal. Pioneers are welcome to share their feedback on the second test token launch here.
How to Participate in the Second Test Token Launch
Pioneers are encouraged to try the SLICE test token in Pi Launchpad, engage with the Slice of Pi app, review the updated participation flow, and share feedback to help improve the Launchpad mechanism.
SLICE is connected to Slice of Pi, a Pi-integrated third-party game that demonstrates Pi’s gaming utility through Pi payments and the Pi Ad Network. This connection lets Pi Launchpad test engagement input from a working app, helping inform how product engagement may affect token launch participation. Pioneers can engage with a real product, understand its utility, and participate in a test launch tied to that product experience, reinforcing the product-first purpose of ecosystem tokens.
The SLICE test token launch will be open for participation until Pi2Day, June 28, 2026.
Here’s how to participate:
- Open the Pi Browser and go to the Pi Launchpad app.
- Review the test token and the issuing project.
- Choose a commitment amount in Test-Pi. The Launchpad will automatically calculate the related fair-access hold and show the commitment, hold, and total before you confirm.
- After reviewing the details, complete the payment flow to confirm your participation.
- Engage with the Slice of Pi app. Your engagement helps you assess whether the product is useful and worth your participation in its token launch, while also helping the project gather user feedback and validate its use case. Based on your engagement, you may qualify to receive a percentage bonus on the SLICE tokens you receive.
Like the first test token, the SLICE token is only on Testnet and will never go on Mainnet. It is intended for Pioneers to learn how the Launchpad works in a safe environment while Pi gathers data and community feedback to help improve the launchpad product before a real Mainnet token launch.
Reminder: What are Pi Ecosystem Tokens?
Ecosystem tokens launched on Pi Launchpad are designed for user acquisition and product utility, rather than serving primarily to raise capital. In this model, projects issue tokens as tools to acquire users for their applications and integrate those tokens directly into the product’s functionality, such as enabling access, payments, rewards, and governance within the app. Instead of being taken by the issuing project, the proceeds of Pi from the launch of their tokens will go to a liquidity pool with the ecosystem token which bootstraps a healthy liquidity foundation from the start.
For projects, ecosystem tokens become a mechanism to attract real users, gather feedback, and validate and iterate their product. Businesses can expose their innovative products to Pi’s large global user base that includes both crypto-native users and mainstream audiences, many of whom are identity-verified.
From the Pioneer perspective, Pi Launchpad provides transparent and meritocratic access to these tokens. Pioneers can choose to participate in different projects, access their tokens through launch mechanisms, and then use those tokens within the products themselves.
The Launchpad mechanism also supports the progress of decentralized exchange (DEX) activity within the Pi ecosystem. While the Pi DEX currently exists on Testnet, a healthy exchange environment depends on the availability of legitimate tokens with substantive utility and liquidity.
Read the initial Launchpad announcement and design explanation for more information.