Modular rollup platform Caldera launches ERA token along with community airdrop

Caldera, a leading rollup-as-a-servive platform, is launching its native token, ERA, along with a community airdrop that opens a new chapter in the project’s mission. 

According to a July 10 announcement, the Caldera Foundation has begun the pre-claim phase for the airdrop, which will allocate 7% of the total ERA token supply to early supporters and ecosystem contributors. Users must register via the official claims portal before the token’s public launch to receive their allocation.

The ERA token will serve as the backbone of Caldera’s ecosystem, enabling omnichain gas payments, validator staking, and decentralized governance. It is designed to power both the Rollup Engine, used to launch modular L2 chains on frameworks like Arbitrum (ARB), Optimism (OP), Base, and zkSync (ZK), and the Metalayer.

Metalater is Caldera’s interoperability protocol that links all rollups into one network with shared liquidity and intent-based bridging. It acts as a connecting bridge between Caldera-based chains, allowing assets and data to move freely across rollups while maintaining security.

Validators will stake ERA to verify cross-chain messages and secure future infrastructure, including ZK-specific subnets. As the ecosystem matures, token holders will also guide protocol upgrades, vote on developer grants, and elect representatives to the foundation’s governance councils.

The token launch comes after several major infrastructure upgrades in early July, such as the complete rollout of the Metalayer and improvements to the Rollup Engine. With these enhancements, developers can now handle rollups as programmable services with integrated interoperability, facilitating quick and safe bridging across over 100 chains.

Caldera currently powers more than 50 live rollups with a total value locked of over $400 million, and has processed over 750 million transactions across 27 million wallet addresses. High-profile partners include Manta Pacific, ApeChain, and B3.

The Caldera Foundation, based in the Cayman Islands, will oversee the token distribution and lead the ecosystem’s progressive decentralization. Its mission is to grow the network while empowering the community to drive its future.

As the modular blockchain movement accelerates, Caldera’s ERA token aims to provide the coordination layer, and economic engine, for what it calls the “Internet of Chains.” With the airdrop live and core infrastructure in place, the project is now inviting users and builders to shape the next era of scalable, composable blockchains.