MITO is the native token of Mitosis, an L1 that turns deposits on branch chains into 1:1 Hub Assets and then into ERC-4626 position tokens—miAssets (via EOL) and maAssets (via Matrix)—through Vault Liquidity Frameworks. MITO secures the network via staking to validators; validator collateral is slashable while user stakes are not. Staking rewards are paid in gMITO, a non-transferable governance token that votes on EVM contracts, branch-chain actions and selected consensus parameters. Position tokens can be traded or used as collateral, with P&L synchronised by a cross-chain settlement system. tMITO is a time-locked MITO created for Genesis Airdrop participants; it is transferable, stakeable and usable across dApps, and redeems after 180 days for 2.5× the original MITO plus a share of a Bonus Pool. Integrations (AMMs, money markets, perps, NFTs/GameFi) and campaigns like Matrix, Zootosis and Expedition extend token utility and rewards.
Mitosis is a Layer 1 for programmable liquidity. Users deposit assets on supported branch chains into Mitosis Vaults and receive 1:1 Hub Assets on the Mitosis Chain. Those Hub Assets can be supplied to Vault Liquidity Frameworks (VLFs) that issue position tokens: miAssets via Ecosystem-Owned Liquidity (EOL) and maAssets via Matrix. These ERC-4626 shares accrue strategy results and can be traded, used as collateral, or composed in other dApps.
Architecture & flow: Execution is EVM-equivalent; consensus is Proof-of-Stake (PoS) with Cosmos SDK + CometBFT for fast, finalised blocks. Vaults live on branch chains, while the Mitosis Chain acts as a hub that mints/burns Hub Assets and coordinates cross-chain state. An Asset Manager maintains a 1:1 ledger of deposits, allocations and withdrawals.
Liquidity frameworks:
EOL (miAssets): Aggregated, governance-directed liquidity able to negotiate terms with external protocols.
Matrix (maAssets): Curated campaigns with defined terms, caps and timelines; participants receive maAssets as receipts.
Programmable positions: Tokenised positions act as building blocks: they can be traded, pledged as collateral and combined to construct more advanced financial instruments.
Settlement & accounting: A cross-chain settlement process updates positions with yield, loss and extra-reward events. Depending on performance, the system mints or burns Hub Assets; rewards in other tokens are recorded and distributed on-chain to keep valuations consistent across chains.
MITO: core utilities
Staking & security: stake MITO to validators to support consensus.
Validator collateral (operators): validators lock MITO as slashable collateral; delegators’ staked MITO is not subject to slashing.
Rewards path: stakers earn gMITO, which provides on-chain voting power.
gMITO (governance): non-transferable token earned from staking; used to vote on Mitosis Chain contracts, branch-chain actions via cross-chain execution and selected consensus parameters.
tMITO (time-locked MITO): airdrop variant that is transferable, stakeable and tradable; redeemable after 180 days for 2.5× the original MITO allocation plus a share of a Bonus Pool; supported across ecosystem dApps (e.g., MITO⇄tMITO pools, money markets, validator staking via partners).
miAssets / maAssets (position): as described above, ERC-4626 shares minted when supplying Hub Assets to VLFs; tradable and usable as collateral; periodic settlements reflect P&L and extra rewards.
Matrix (e.g., Theo Straddle): curated strategies issuing maAssets with caps and eligibility; rewards may include strategy yield and partner tokens.
Zootosis (Morph): deposits earn “Zoots” points, later redeemable as Mitosis and Morph token rewards.
Expedition: cross-chain LRT-focused programme where deposits mint miAssets and accrue MITO-related points by asset type.
Luke (@LukeAlwaysAwake), Co-founder: product/marketing background; active in crypto since 2017 (Uniswap, Yearn, Curve); focused on removing inefficiencies.
Jake (@Jake_on_me), Co-founder: in crypto since 2018; co-founded Keplr Wallet; technical experience at Anchor Protocol.
The founders met in 2017 and began collaborating closely in late 2022 around the thesis “what if liquidity could move?”, which shaped the programmable-liquidity design.