Knidos launches testnet

Knidos has opened an invite-only testnet for an on-chain fund product that automates crypto trading and yield strategies on Avalanche. (knidos.xyz) The live testnet walks users through wallet setup, onboarding missions, a faucet, a leaderboard and referrals, and Knidos says Phase 1 access waves are opening now. The company describes the product as “verifiable AI-powered fund workflows.” (knidos.xyz) On its main site, Knidos says one autonomous trading agent will run multiple strategies, including optimized yield allocation across decentralized finance protocols and funding-rate arbitrage across exchanges. It also says users can withdraw anytime and see real-time performance tracking. (knidos.xyz) A perpetual is a futures contract without an expiry date, and a delta-neutral strategy tries to cancel out price swings by pairing one position with an offsetting hedge. In decentralized finance, that usually means chasing trading fees, lending yield or funding payments without making a direct bet on whether a token rises or falls. (ethena.fi) (defillama.com) Knidos is packaging those strategies as a consumer product at a time when crypto firms are pushing “autonomous finance” tools that promise to manage portfolios onchain instead of asking users to move between separate trading, lending and analytics apps. The testnet page calls that model a “consumer layer for autonomous asset management.” (knidos.xyz) The company says its differentiator is proof, not just automation. Knidos says each batch of trades can be checked with “zero-knowledge” trade proofs, a cryptographic method that aims to verify activity happened within preset rules without exposing the strategy itself. (knidos.xyz) Knidos says it uses Aztec’s Noir for circuit design, zkVerify for proof verification and 0G for data availability, and that its smart contracts were audited by Nethermind. Those claims matter because automated trading vaults have to persuade users on both performance and custody risk. (knidos.xyz) The Avalanche connection predates this testnet. In February 2025, Knidos Labs said it had secured funding from the Avalanche Foundation for a separate product called Node-Fi and said future plans included concentrated liquidity, auto-looping, artificial intelligence signals and funding-rate arbitrage bots. (chainwire.org) Knidos now describes itself as “supported by the Avalanche Foundation,” while also marketing itself as an on-chain fund manager tied to Ethereum-style token vaults and cross-exchange strategies. Avalanche’s own support materials say its bridge is used to move Ethereum-based assets onto Avalanche and back. (knidos.xyz) (support.avax.network) For now, the product is still in test mode and access is gated by invite code. The next signal to watch is whether Knidos turns the onboarding game and waitlist into deposits on a public mainnet product. (knidos.xyz)