What is Kusama (KSM)

1. Project Introduction
Kusama is a scalable, purpose-built blockchain network known as Polkadot’s “canary network.” Built using Substrate, it shares nearly identical code with Polkadot. Kusama provides an experimental development environment ideal for teams seeking rapid iteration or preparing for deployment on Polkadot. The network supports two types of blockchains: relay chains and parachains. To maintain consistent network state, Kusama uses a variant of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) called Nominated Proof-of-Stake (NPoS). Participants can stake KSM by locking tokens in a special contract and take on the following roles:
Validators – validate parachain block data, participate in consensus, and vote on proposed changes.
Nominators – secure the relay chain by nominating trustworthy validators. They delegate their staked KSM to validators, effectively assigning voting power.
Parachains are custom blockchains that leverage the relay chain’s computational resources to ensure transaction validity.
2. Team & Investment Info
Kusama was founded in 2019 by Gavin Wood, co-founder and former CTO of Ethereum and founder of Polkadot.
Funding: No reported fundraising.
3. Social Media URLs
X: https://x.com/kusamanetwork
Discord: https://kusama-discord.w3f.tools/
GitHub: https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/
4. Token Info
Token Symbol: KSM
Total Supply: 15,686,932
Token Type: Kusama native token
Issuance/Burn Mechanism: There is an inflation mechanism
Block Explorer: https://kusama.subscan.io/
5. Related Links
Official Website: https://kusama.network/
White Paper: https://guide.kusama.network/docs/kusama-getting-started/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kusamanetwork/
Other Info: https://www.rootdata.com/Projects/detail/Kusama?k=NTEwNg%3D%3D