The Talus Token (US) is the native digital asset of the Talus Network, which underpins the Talus Agentic Framework (TAF) and its implementation, Nexus. It is primarily used on the Sui Network, where Talus operates. The token is designed to support a decentralised ecosystem for building and executing AI-powered onchain services called Talus Agents.

The Talus Token serves multiple roles in this framework:

• As a means of payment for invoking services (Talus Tools) within a Talus Workflow.
• As stake collateral to economically incentivise correct behaviour from service providers.
• As a unit of account to track cost and compensation within automated onchain processes.

Token usage is enforced via the tool gas object, which defines the amount and form of payment required per task execution. Nexus uses the token as part of a trustless payment infrastructure to compensate service providers based on verified outcomes.

The token is used to:

• Pay for services: Every Talus Tool in a workflow requires a defined payment in Talus Tokens. These can be fixed fees or usage-based (e.g. per query, per period).
• Stake for service integrity: Providers of Talus Tools must stake tokens, which can be slashed if the service fails (e.g., due to liveness issues). This model creates economic accountability for offchain and onchain components.
• Fuel onchain workflows: Users must deposit Talus Tokens to initiate workflows involving Talus Agents. Each service execution deducts the corresponding fees automatically via smart contracts.
• Support decentralised execution: By enabling payments, incentives, and penalties, the token helps ensure correct behaviour from offchain components like the Nexus Leader system.

The Talus Token (US) was created by Talus Labs, a team developing infrastructure to bring artificial intelligence agents and services onchain using the Talus Agentic Framework (TAF) and its implementation, Nexus, on the Sui Network.

The founders of Talus Labs are:

• Mike Hanono (CEO): Startup operator with over 5 years of experience, holding an MS in Data Science and specialising in blockchain technologies.
• Ben Frigon (CSO): Blockchain researcher and former venture capitalist, focused on the strategic direction of the project.

Key leadership team members also include:

• Christos Loverdos (CTO): Engineering leader with a background in R&D, deep tech, and product development.
• Stephen Liu (Chief Scientist): Cryptography PhD with over 9 years of blockchain research experience.
• David Choi (Head of Business Development): Web3 founder and investor with a focus on growth and the Asia-Pacific market.
• Isaac Valadez (Head of Product): Product executive with over 10 years’ experience scaling startups from inception to $1m+ ARR.

The team comprises a total of at least 18 contributors across engineering, markets, and business development functions.