World, the largest human-centered identity and financial network, continues its U.S. expansion with a flagship location in Austin.
Located at 417 W. Second Street, the fifth U.S. location following successful launches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta. The expansion comes as survey data reveals people in Texas strongly support tools that prove humanness online while preserving privacy.
Novel technology arrives in Austin
Austin has established itself as one of America's most dynamic technology ecosystems, attracting entrepreneurs, developers, and creative thinkers. The choice of the 2nd Street District – surrounded by the city's thriving downtown scene – provides an ideal setting for World's humanness verification technology.
The Austin flagship incorporates the same thoughtful design aesthetic as previous locations, featuring World's signature Orb that invites visitors to verify their World ID.
Addressing growing digital trust challenges
The flagship opening responds to concerns highlighted in a recent Echelon Insights survey of Texas voters, which revealed that of those surveyed:
- Nine-in-ten Texans want better verification tools that help confirm humanness online without sacrificing anonymity or personal data
- 95% value human verification for online job applications
- 90% seek assurance when reading reviews
- 87% desire authenticity on social media
- 84% want genuine connections on dating platforms
Most notably, 55% of Texas voters surveyed report encountering bots regularly, with over one in five (21%) encountering them often. Among voters 65 and older, 63% struggle to distinguish between human and AI-generated content.
Privacy-preserving proof of human verification now available in Texas
Inside the Austin flagship, visitors can experience World's NVIDIA-powered Orb, which verifies unique humanness while maintaining complete privacy. Once confirmed as unique and not previously verified, individuals receive a World ID – an anonymous, privacy-preserving digital humanness passport that lives in their World App.
This approach aligns perfectly with residents' preferences: the survey found 83% support using biometrics like fingerprints or facial recognition to verify humanness when paired with robust privacy protections. Importantly, all proof of human verification data processed by World remains exclusively on the individual's device, never stored on World's servers or shared with third parties. Individuals who verify at an Orb can claim Worldcoins (WLD) providing immediate utility within the growing ecosystem.
Expanding across innovation centers in the U.S.
The Austin flagship complements World's U.S. launch in San Francisco, featuring a keynote by co-founders Sam Altman and Alex Blania, who announced partnerships with Visa, Stripe, Match Group, and Razer.
With a network of more than 26 million people across 160 countries, World's expansion to Austin represents a strategic connection between America's most dynamic tech hubs. The organization plans to deploy approximately 7,500 Orbs across the U.S. in the coming months, with many placed in flagship locations like the Austin storefront, while others will be accessible via coffee shops and businesses throughout the country.
Learn more
With more than 26 million users across 160+ countries, World continues to build the infrastructure for human verification in an age increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence. To stay informed about World, visit the World website or subscribe to the blog below. You can also join the daily conversation on all World social media channels, or get additional important information concerning the project by reading the World protocol whitepaper.