Protocol Village: Team Behind Mento, EVM for Stable Assets on Celo, Raises $10M, Publishes Roadmap

Wednesday, Oct. 16

Team Behind Mento, EVM for Stable Assets on Celo, Raises $10M, Publishes Roadmap

Mento Labs, the team behind Mento, a decentralized EVM platform for launching and operating stable assets on Celo, announced its $10M raise supported by T-Capital, HashKey Capital, Richard Parsons, Flori Ventures, No Limit Holdings, Verda Ventures and w3.fund. According to the team: "Mento also published a stablecoin roadmap outlining the addition of local digital currencies PUSO (Philippines), cCOP (Colombia) and cGHS (Ghana) to its growing roster of decentralized stablecoins." According to the project documentation: "The Mento stability protocol can be thought of as a mechanism for over-collateralized, decentralized and transparent stable assets in which a crypto reserve is used to allow users to adjust the supply of Mento stable assets in response to changes in demand. The protocol allows users to exchange Mento stable assets with reserve collateral assets." The Mento reserve was previously called the Celo reserve.

Neon EVM, Ethereum Environment Deployed as Program on Solana, Adopts Network Extensions as Category

Neon EVM, a fully compatible Ethereum environment built on the Solana blockchain, has formally adopted "Network Extensions" as a new product category, expanding Solana’s functionalities. According to the team: "Unlike traditional layer-1 or layer-2 blockchains, Neon EVM operates as a program directly on Solana, enhancing developer and user experiences. By abstracting the complexities of the EVM layer, Neon EVM enables seamless deployment on Solana, while users benefit from Solana-native gas fees and a unified dApp experience."

Non-Custodial Staking Project P2P.org Launches Revenue-Sharing Program for Delegators on EigenLayer

P2P.org, a project for non-custodial staking services, launched its first-ever revenue-sharing program for delegators on EigenLayer. According to the team: "This program allows delegators to share in the validator’s financial success. P2P.org is the first validator on EigenLayer to offer revenue sharing, giving delegators benefits beyond standard staking rewards and a direct stake in the platform’s success. As the largest operator on EigenLayer by TVL, P2P.org will deliver its largest-ever revenue share, providing significant value to delegators. Turning delegators from passive participants into active stakeholders."

Symbiotic, Restaking Protocol, Integrates With Data-Availability Project Avail

Symbiotic, a permissionless restaking protocol on Ethereum, is integrating with the data-availability project Avail, "so its developers can bootstrap more scalable products and a new ecosystem of verifiable services," according to the Avail team: 'New data availability solutions for Symbiotic developers enables the efficient creation of new classes of innovative applications using a wide range of validated services, including intent networks, insurance networks, policy engines, computational engines, validation and sequencing services, co-processors and more. This will enable new rollup tokens to further secure the base layer that empowers them, adding to their utility."

Unite, Layer-3 Chain for Mobile Games, Integrates EigenDA for Data Availability

Unite, a layer 3 blockchain for mass-market mobile games built on Coinbase's layer-2 blockchain, Base, and the OP Stack, has partnered with Eigen Labs to integrate EigenDA’s data availability solution. According to the team: "This collaboration ensures seamless scalability and efficiency, allowing developers to handle large transaction volumes while reducing costs. By leveraging EigenDA’s advanced infrastructure, Unite aims to simplify the development of web3 mobile games, bringing blockchain-powered gaming to a global audience of over 3 billion players. This partnership is a key step toward mainstream Web3 gaming."

Protocol Village is a regular feature of The Protocol, our weekly newsletter exploring the tech behind crypto, one block at a time. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Wednesday. Project teams can submit updates here. For previous versions of Protocol Village, please go here.

Tuesday, Oct. 15

HouseParty Founder Ben Rubin Launches 'Towns' as Decentralized Messaging Platform on River Protocol

Ben Rubin, the former founder of HouseParty and Meerkat, has launched Towns, a decentralized messaging platform built on the River Protocol. According to the team: "Towns enables secure, permissionless group chats designed for digital communities, allowing users to own and manage their spaces. Key features include end-to-end encryption, decentralized ownership, and a reputation system that prioritizes privacy. Backed by a16z, Towns aims to blend the user-friendly experience of Web2 messaging with the incentives of Web3, offering a secure alternative to traditional platforms often criticized for privacy concerns."

Predicate, for 'Simplifying Transaction Prerequisites, Raises $7M

Predicate, a project to build a "network for simplifying transaction prerequisites," has raised $7 million led by 1kx and Tribe Capital. According to a thread on X: "As was the case for apps like Venmo and Uber, pre-transaction rules become a critical building block as Web3 apps scale into the broader global economy. Predicate brings this concept on-chain, offering a library of prerequisites enforceable in a trust-minimized way. At the core of our system is the Predicate function, which evaluates conditions and returns true or false, deciding whether an onchain action can proceed. Predicates are the foundation for rules, which are stacked to form policies. Any entity – individuals, DAOs, organizations – can create and manage policies, which use both onchain and offchain data like flow-of-funds, allowlists, and verifiable credentials."

Kraken Completes Integration With EigenLayer to Enable Clients to Restake Assets

Kraken, a crypto exchange, has completed an integration with EigenLayer to enable Kraken clients to seamlessly restake assets from the platform, "creating new opportunities to put their crypto wealth to work," according to the team: "Projects built on EigenLayer called Actively Validated Services (AVS) benefit from the underlying network security and may provide additional staking rewards, typically in the application’s native token or ETH. With Kraken, clients can now directly restake any ETH they have already staked on the platform, and receive additional staking rewards from the AVSs they support."

Blockcast Secures $2.85M for 'Community-Driven Content Delivery Network' on Solana

Blockcast, an open content delivery network built around a unique caching architecture, announced the successful completion of its $2.85 million funding round, led by Lattice Fund. The round included participation from Protocol Labs, Finality Capital Partners, AllianceDAO, Zee Prime Capital, RW3 Ventures, and angels such as Anatoly Yakovenko, founder of Solana. According to the team: "This investment reflects Blockcast’s approach to launching a new generation of highly scalable content delivery networks (CDNs) for meeting the demand for bitrate live streams."

Wall Street Bond Clearinghouse DTCC Unveils 'Digital Launchpad' as Sandbox for Pilot Projects

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), a post-trade market infrastructure for the traditional financial industry, unveiled "DTCC Digital Launchpad," described as "an industry sandbox intended to bring together financial market participants and clear the path to scalable adoption of digital assets. As an open ecosystem, DTCC Digital Launchpad will feature market participants, technology providers and others working together to identify and collaborate on meaningful pilots that have a clear path to production. “We’ve reached a critical inflection point in the adoption of digital asset technology,” said Nadine Chakar, Global Head of DTCC Digital Assets." The platform has two objectives, according to the press release:

• Industry Launchpad: "An open ecosystem for broad collaboration. DTCC will publicize our prioritized pilots in Q1 2025, starting with an initial group of participants invited to co-develop these solutions. These initiatives are designed to unite the industry behind addressing critical pain points and paving the way for scalable solutions that drive industry-wide progress."
• Client Launchpad: "A dedicated space to leverage comprehensive digital asset capabilities from DTCC Digital Assets. Clients can explore and develop their own innovative use cases without substantial investment. DTCC’s professional services team is on hand to offer guidance and provide product support to drive these initiatives to production."

Proof-of-Work Quai, Featuring Stablecoin Linked to Energy Costs, Releases Gamified Testnet 'Golden Age'

Quai Network, a scalable, programmable proof-of-work layer-1 chain, is launching Golden Age Testnet, a gamified test network. According to the team: "This fully gamified testnet features a reward pool of 10 million Mainnet Quai tokens distributed proportionally based on participants' Testnet Quai holdings. Whether through mining, developing, trading, or engaging in social challenges, participants can strategize their way to maximize their rewards and win a share of the reward pool." The gamified testnet offers 10 million Mainnet Quai tokens, rewarding participants based on Testnet Quai holdings from mining, developing, trading, or social challenges. Quai's proof-of-work primitives include a native "stablecoin" linked to the cost of energy.

Cysic Network, ZK Proof Layer, Now Providing Computing Power to Scroll

Cysic Network, a zero-knowledge (ZK) proof layer, disclosed that it is providing substantial computing power to the Ethereum layer-2 network Scroll, "to improve ZKP generation efficiency using their hardware and software combination." According to the team: "Cysic is developing ZK Air and ZK Pro, based on their ASIC C1 chip, to handle high transaction volumes without compromising speed or security. This prevents bottlenecks, high latency and increased costs that could undermine layer-2 benefits. By Scroll delegating its proving tasks to Cysic, we see the necessity of combining protocol design with infrastructure for a scalable Layer 2 ecosystem."

Decentralized Credit Platform Synnax Announces Beta Launch

Synnax, a decentralized credit intelligence platform, announced its beta launch. The move comes after the project announced last week that it had secured a strategic investment from Wintermute Ventures and TON Ventures, bringing total funding to $1.55 million, as reported in Protocol Village. According to the team, the credit Intelligence platform "redefines how creditworthiness is assessed by integrating decentralized AI, privacy-preserving computation and blockchain technology. The result is real-time, unbiased predictive credit intelligence. Already tracking 20,000 public companies worldwide, Synnax’s platform offers independent, forward-looking credit intelligence, powered by a decentralized network of incentivized and independent machine learning models, crowdsourcing predictive credit signals."

Wanchain, Decentralized Interoperability Solution, Integrates Solana Into Cross-Chain Infrastructure

Wanchain, a layer-1 proof-of-stake blockchain that acts as a decentralized interoperability solution, has integrated Solana into its cross-chain infrastructure. According to the team: "Users can now bridge assets between Solana and any of the 35-plus other Wanchain-supported chains. Wanchain’s XFlows protocol enables native-to-native cross-chain transfers, and will first make USDC available for transfer to and from Solana. More tokens and accessible routes will follow." According to the project documentation, "Wanchain uses a proof-of-stake consensus algorithm called Galaxy Consensus that leverages a variety of cryptographic schemes including distributed secret sharing and threshold signatures to improve random number generation and block production mechanisms," and it's a "continuation of Cardano’s Ouroboros." The project says it's "working on direct bridge that will connect two public blockchains without the need of routing through a hub blockchain, as shown in the following architectural diagram extended from Wanchain’s original whitepaper."

MultiversX Hires Former Cardano CMO

Adam Bates has joined MultiversX as the new chief marketing officer, "bringing with him an extensive background in scaling blockchain brands, most notably as the former CMO of Cardano," according to the team: "In his role, Bates aims to elevate MultiversX's global presence by highlighting its high-performance blockchain capabilities, including its ability to handle up to 72,000 transactions per second. Bates will leverage his experience from Cardano, where he helped position it as a top blockchain brand." MultiversX is a "distributed transactional computation protocol that relies on a sharded state architecture and a Secure Proof of Stake consensus mechanism," according to the project documentation.

Dune, Data Analytics Platform, Integrates Stellar Blockchain

Dune, the crypto data analytics platform, has integrated the open-source blockchain network Stellar into its ecosystem. According to the team: "Following the integration, Dune users can now access comprehensive data about the Stellar blockchain network, including important metrics such as transaction volumes, network health, activity of Stellar-based tokens or assets, and on-chain data related to asset transfers and remittances." CoinDesk 20 asset: (XLM)

Monday, Oct. 14

Politicians in Georgia Launch ZK Identity App 'United Space,' Built on Rarimo for 'Tamper-Proof Polling'

The Rarimo team sent the following message: "Politicians in Georgia have launched ZK identity app United Space, which is built on Rarimo’s anonymized election and polling software Freedom Tool. At first, United Space will bring national identities on-chain, enable surveillance-free and tamper-proof polling, and introduce a points system to encourage citizens to participate in civic activities. It will also enable Georgia’s one million expatriates to participate, which have been barred from voting in the upcoming Parliamentary elections. It aims to combat low voter turnout, particularly amongst younger demographics."

Turtle Club, Project to Reward Partners for Bringing Liquidity to the Protocol, Launches 'Phantom Liquidity Layer'

Turtle Club, a project to shift how liquidity flows within Web3 and decentralized finance (DeFi), has launched the "Phantom Liquidity Layer," a technical solution designed to eliminate smart contract and counterparty risks. According to the team: "This new feature provides a secure and scalable liquidity infrastructure for DeFi protocols, allowing liquidity providers to maintain full control over their assets without relying on traditional smart contracts. By reducing technical risks and improving capital efficiency, this update reshapes how DeFi protocols manage liquidity, making it safer and more reliable." Per the project's whitepaper: "As a modular phantom infrastructure layer and liquidity protocol, the Turtle Protocol sits underneath all of the L1, L2, bridges, base assets (wBTC, LST, LRT, Stablecoin & RWA), and dApps (lending & borrowing, vaults, spot & perp DEXes) that plug into it. Allowing our protocol partners ("Turtle Partner Protocols") to tap into our liquidity, LP/user base (liquidity provider), and dApp ecosystems."

Puffer Finance, Liquid Restaking Protocol, Launches PUFFER Governance Token; Website Briefly Overwhelmed

Puffer Finance, a liquid restaking protocol, has launched its governance token, PUFFER, according to the team. The token "will enable holders to vote on key decisions that will shape the future of the ecosystem, like protocol upgrades, fee adjustments and new feature proposals for Puffer UniFi, its flagship Based Rollup solution; UniFi AVS, the first-of-its-kind preconf service for based rollup preconfirmations; and Puffer Liquid Restaking Token (LRT). All three products will generate treasury rewards, which future PUFFER holders will be responsible for managing, driving long-term sustainability." The project apologized on X "for the website being down earlier due to an overwhelming number of people rushing to claim."

CrossFi, Built on Cosmos SDK, to Launch EVM-Compatible L1 Mainnet on Tuesday

CrossFi, built on Cosmos SDK and using Ethermint and Evmos to be interoperable with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, will be launching its EVM-compatible layer-1 mainnet on Tuesday, "offering a platform for Web3 payments with Alchemy as a launch partner, following a testnet launch with over 1 million active wallets created," according to the team: "Projects will be able to process everyday transactions, with support for up to 10,000 transactions per second. Built on Cosmos SDK and PCI DSS certified, CrossFi is tackling the gap between traditional and crypto payments. Governance for CrossFi is facilitated by the MPX token, which is also used to pay network fees – that are expected to average around $0.02 per transaction."

Swarm Markets Launches 'Commodity Tokens' Enabling Investors to Bundle NFTs Into Tradable Tokens

RWA platform Swarm Markets has launched "commodity tokens," which will allow investors to bundle together NFTs into tradable tokens, according to the team: "The fully decentralized NFT-bundling platform will allow users to autonomously fractionalize RWAs via smart contracts, into fungible xGold tokens, which can then be traded on Swarm’s dOTC platform or via Uniswap. Users will receive incentives for bundling NFTs in Swarm’s native token. Commodity tokens deepen the DeFi integration for users, to put their assets to use on-chain, opening up lending and collateral opportunities and enabling fractional gold purchasing."

Gate Ventures, Movement Labs, Boon Ventures Launch $20M Fund to Accelerate Web3 Innovation

Gate Ventures, a global venture capital firm specializing in blockchain; Movement Labs, a leader in Move-based blockchain technology; and Boon Ventures, a prominent investor in emerging tech startups, today announced the establishment of a groundbreaking $20 million fund designed to transform the Web3 space, according to a press release. "This strategic alliance will invest in cutting-edge projects and accelerate the development of Move-based blockchain technologies."

Solv Raises $11M to Grow the $1.3B Bitcoin Staking Protocol

Bitcoin (BTC) staking platform Solv Protocol has raised $11 million at a $200 million valuation from Nomura subsidiary Laser Digital, Blockchain Capital and OKX Ventures, among others.

Trump-Backed World Liberty Financial Whitelists 100K Accredited Investors Ahead of WLFi Launch

The Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial has whitelisted over 100,000 accredited U.S. investors ahead of its Tuesday token launch, the project said in an X spaces on Monday. Several notable crypto figures attended the spaces including Stani Kulechov, founder of Aave, Sandy Peng, co-founder layer-2 network Scroll and Luke Pearson, senior research cryptographer, Polychain Capital.

Friday, Oct. 11

Karate Combat, Web3 Contact Sport, Launches Own Layer-2 Chain 'UP' on Hedera

Karate Combat, a Web3-enhanced professional contract sports league, is launching UP, a layer-2 blockchain and crypto-native software licensing platform built on Hedera in Q1 2025. According to the team: "KC’s Up Only Gaming software stack allows $KARATE token holders to earn additional $KARATE by accurately predicting KC fight outcomes. It has grown to 100,000 users in a year. Partners on UP can clone, customize and launch KC’s native mobile apps with no licensing fee. The $UP token is expected to launch in 2025. 30% is planned to flow to $KARATE token holders over time. On Friday night, Karate Combat 50 is at Permissionless III, starting at 7 p.m. ET." According to a press release: "The software stack includes native iOS and android mobile apps, a web app and an on-chain backend. Today the league is announcing that it is licensing the software stack to any qualifying sports league, team, esport, fantasy sport, poker tournament, meme coin or gambling platform to use for free."

RootstockLabs Has Started Development on Bitcoin Bridge 'Union' Based on BitVMX

Sergio Lerner, chief scientist at RootstockLabs, announced that development has begun on Union, a new permissionless and trust minimized bridge based on BitVMX and the disputable computing paradigm. According to the team: "In addition, it was confirmed that the full codebase for BitVMX will be open sourced as a gift to the Bitcoin community. BitVMX unlocks a whole host of new use cases for Bitcoin, including the creation of new Bitcoin L2 light clients, zero-knowledge contingent payments and autonomous bug bounty programs. These announcements were made on stage during Bitcoin Amsterdam." This link goes to a Telegram group where readers can help contribute to the development of BitVMX and stay up-to-date with its progress: https://t.me/+HnlusWvtyyY4YjEx.

Yala, Bitcoin Liquidity Layer Featuring Stablecoin Protocol, Raises $8M in Seed Round

Yala, a Bitcoin liquidity with a modular approach featuring an overcollateralized stablecoin protocol, has raised $8 million in a seed round. According to a press release, the round was co-led by Polychain Capital and Ethereal Ventures, with participation from prominent investors, including Galaxy Vision Hill, Anagram, Amber Group, ABCDE, Ambush Capital, GeekCartel, HashKey Capital, L2 Iterative Ventures (L2IV), SatoshiLab, UpHonest Capital, UTXO Management and 280 Capital. "The capital will be used to fund expansion of Yala's engineering, growth and security teams ahead of its mainnet launch," the company said. Yala is set to release its testnet next week.

Worldcoin Teams With Dune for Data, Insights on World Chain

Worldcoin is teaming up with Dune, a leading data analytics platform, to bring real-time data accessibility and insights to World Chain, a new blockchain "designed for humans," according to the team: "In collaboration with the Worldcoin Foundation and Tools for Humanity, Dune will provide the Worldcoin community with accessible on-chain data, ensuring transparency for the entire World Chain. Once the mainnet launches, devs and non-devs on World Chain will be able to explore metrics related to real humans interacting on the chain, track DeFi performance and explore on-chain data of any public blockchain project."

Paradigm Announces $20M Investment In Ithaca, Which Just Launched Reth-Based L2 'Odyssey' on Testnet

Paradigm, a crypto venture-capital firm, announced a $20 million investment in Ithaca, a crypto infrastructure startup focused on expanding research and development of open source tools like Reth and Foundry, and building commercial products. According to the team: "Built by Paradigm CTO and general partner Georgios Konstantopoulos, and fewer than 20 engineers who’ve helped build projects like Reth, Ithaca will accelerate crypto development by contributing to and maintaining open-source projects starting with the release of Odyssey, a layer 2 built on Reth for performance and stability (following the OP Stack standard)." According to a blog post: "Odyssey targets 33 megagas per second (200 megagas gas limit with an elasticity factor of 6 in OP Stack), and one second block time, and we plan to increase its target gas in the upcoming chapters in our journey to gigagas per second."

Universal Privacy Alliance Announces Amelia Andersdotter as Interim Director

Amelia Andersdotter, a former member of the European Parliament, was newly-appointed as the interim director of the Universal Privacy Alliance. According to the team: "The appointment comes at a time when geopolitical events have pushed digital communications and privacy into the foreground, amid growing third-party data sharing, censorship and surveillance practices. The UPA is the collective of Web3 companies – comprising Nym Technologies, Protocol Labs Network, Filecoin Foundation, Oasis and Aztec Labs – that joined forces to create the world’s first and largest lobby group for internet privacy rights."

Blockchain Security Standards Council Unveils Board of Directors, Led by Anchorage's Weichelt

The Blockchain Security Standards Council (BSSC) announced the appointment of its inaugural board of directors, comprised of key leaders from its founding member organizations.

• President: Frieder Weichelt, CISO, Anchorage Digital
• Vice President: Annalea Ilg, CISO, Figment
• Secretary: Adrienne Allen, Head of Security GRC and Privacy, Coinbase
• Directors: Riyaz Faizullabhoy, co-founder, Bastion; Shahar Madar, VP of security & trust products, Fireblocks; Ruth Sandescu, senior director of security strategy and governance, Kraken; Sigal Mandelker, Ribbit Capital.

Thursday, Oct. 10

Nexus, ZkVM Developer, Launches Beta Version of 'World's First Open Prover Network'

Nexus, developer of a zero-knowledge virtual machine zkVM written in Rust, says it has launched the first beta release of the Nexus network, "the world’s first open prover network." According to the team: "This is the first distributed zero knowledge VM-based prover network that is accessible to anyone. The network aggregates the collective power of any connected device, from massive GPU farms to your computer or phone. Our goal is to unite the world’s computers into a single supercomputer that will be able to prove all the Internet’s computations, unlocking the Verifiable Internet."

Uniswap Developer Unveils Own Layer-2 Network, Unichain, Built on Optimism Tech

The main developer behind Uniswap, the largest decentralized crypto exchange, plans to launch its own blockchain as a layer-2 network atop Ethereum – part of an effort to make transactions faster and cheaper while also improving liquidity. Unichain, as the new network is known, was set to go live on a private test network Thursday, according to a press release. The project's technical development is being led by Uniswap Labs, relying on technology borrowed from the Ethereum layer-2 team Optimism's OP Stack. (UNI) (OP)

Ronin Adopts Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol to Secure Ronin Bridge

Ronin has officially adopted Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to secure the Ronin Bridge, "following a competitive vote by the validator community (10 votes Chainlink, 3 votes LayerZero, 0 votes Axelar)," according to the team: "This integration will enhance security for assets bridged to Ronin, starting with Ethereum transfers. Chainlink’s infrastructure was chosen for its defense-in-depth approach and proven track record in enabling over $15 trillion in transactional value across multiple networks." (LINK)

Nudge, Markus Maier's New Project for Crypto Reallocation Incentives, Launches Points App

Nudge.xyz, a crypto project promoting what it describes as a new "Re:allocation primitive," has launched the Nudge Points App, "a DeFi app that unlocks hidden wallet value by assigning Re:Allocation Points, which serve as proxies for future Nudge incentives," according to the team: "Using a proprietary algorithm, the app analyzes asset types, on-chain activity and liquidity to calculate points and ranks users from 'Air' to 'Diamond.' Users can unlock more value by reallocating assets, with points redeemable for rewards. The app aims to reshape on-chain economics." Nudge.xyz was founded in May 2024 by Markus Maier, who previously co-founded Mauve, a decentralized exchange (DEX) for trading compliant and real world assets, before pivoting to build Nudge.

Aethir, Cloud Computing Platform for Underutilized GPUs, Launches $100M Ecosystem Fund

Aethir, a distributed network to source underutilized graphical processing units (GPUs) for intensive tasks like AI model training and gaming, has launched a $100 million Ecosystem Fund, backed by the Aethir Foundation, to accelerate adoption of its compute platform. According to the team: "As part of this initiative, Aethir introduces Aethir Catalyst, an independent grant program distributing 336,000,000 ATH tokens over the next year, providing financial support to 100+ projects via grants or subsidies. The program supports startups and enterprises with significant compute needs, especially those integrating AI or developing high-traction gaming projects in underserved communities needing affordable GPU resources."

Anoma Foundation Launches Namada Delegation Program

The Anoma Foundation, supporting the intent-centric Anoma project as well as the Namada protocol, which is a data-protection blockchain using zero-knowledge proof technology, "is launching the Namada Delegation Program to strengthen the security and decentralization of the Namada network," according to the team: "Validators with high uptime, security standards and meaningful contributions to the ecosystem can apply. Delegations, lasting six months, will be given to up to 50 validators. Validators are selected based on technical criteria including low commission rates (≤10%), participation in early testnets and development of tooling or infrastructure that improves the validator set’s geographic diversity. Applications close on Oct. 31."

PiP World, the 'Duolingo of Crypto,' Raises $10M from Fintech Firm Exinity

PiP World, a Web3 gaming and EdTech ecosystem, says it has secured $10 million in seed funding from Exinity, a fintech firm, to build out what it describes as the "Duolingo of crypto." According to a press release: "PiP World blends engaging gameplay with personalized learning to empower users, globally. PiP World’s games ecosystem includes: PiP Trader, a AAA strategy management simulator game for building trading portfolios; PiP World’s Gold Rush, a Telegram tap-to-earn game, PiP Academy, a gamified app that simplifies financial concepts; and StockRise, Roblox's top-grossing stock simulator."

CARV, Identity and Data Layer on Base for Gaming and AI, Launches Utility Token

CARV, an identity and data layer for gaming and AI, today launches its utility token, CARV. According to the team: "Built on Base and available on eight centralized exchanges including Bybit and KuCoin, CARV empowers holders to shape the protocol and monetize their data. With 1 billion total supply over four years, 50% is reserved for the community, including 10% for airdrops. CARV also introduces veCARV on Arbitrum for enhanced voting power."

Aethir, Network of Aggregated GPU Chips, Launches Enterprise Social Media and AI Business Line

Aethir, a distributed cloud compute infrastructure that aggregates enterprise-grade GPU chips into a single global network, launched a new enterprise social media and AI business line, powered by its Aethir Edge network. According to the team: "Starting in November, participants can earn up to 100 ATH tokens daily by connecting eligible devices to Aethir Edge. The decentralized network meets the growing demand for real-time data processing, reducing latency and enhancing security. With AI, cloud phones, and social media convergence, Aethir empowers users to manage their digital presence efficiently while earning rewards."

Ripple Expands Custody Business to Offer 'Bank-Grade' Service to Crypto Firms

Ripple, a provider of digital asset infrastructure, added functionality to its custody service to offer crypto businesses "bank-grade" technology for securing digital assets. The new features include integration with the XRP Ledger, whose developers went on to help found Ripple, expanding liquidity through the provision of XRPL-based tokens and a native decentralized exchange (DEX), which could allow companies to tokenize and manage real-world assets (RWAs) as well as other cryptocurrencies on XRPL. Ripple aims is to bring "the benefits of bank-grade custody technology to fintechs and crypto businesses," the company said Thursday. (XRP)

Theta Labs Announces AI-Powered Chatbot Built for The Vegas Golden Knights

Theta Labs, developer of the Theta blockchain, announced what is says is a "novel AI-powered chatbot built for The Vegas Golden Knights," according to the team: "This chatbot, powered by Theta EdgeCloud, will be integrated into the VGK website to enhance fan engagement by providing real-time answers to inquiries about game schedules, tickets, merchandise and more. Utilizing Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) technology, the chatbot will draw from a vast database of hockey statistics and team-specific information to offer tailored responses. This collaboration aims to create a more immersive and interactive experience for fans of the knights."

Proof-of-Work Blockchain Kadena Hires Ex-DCG Exec Ackerson in Push Toward Tokenization, RWAs

Kadena, a proof-of-work blockchain that says it can scale to power global financial systems by braiding together multiple Bitcoin-like chains, has appointed Alana Ackerson, a executive of Thiel Foundation, SoFi and Digital Currency Group, as strategic advisor, "marking a strategic push into asset management and institutional tokenization." Ackerson previously served as CEO of HQ Digital, a wealth management subsidiary of DCG that catered to crypto millionaires, and she co-founded Figure, a crypto unicorn best known for its blockchain-powered home-equity lines of credit, according to the team. She also led the Thiel Foundation as CEO. According to a press release: "Ackerson’s appointment coincides with Kadena’s renewed focus on institutional tokenization and RWAs, where the firm is in talks with large asset managers to launch a wide range of institutional tokenized products. With her background in asset management, Ackerson is poised to lead Kadena’s efforts in building out this business. The firm has also recently hired 10 business development staff, signaling its intent to make a significant comeback in the blockchain space."

Polygon Labs Invests $2M in Gaming-Focused L2 Moonveil's Nodes, to Accelerate AggLayer-Connected Projects

Gaming-focused Layer-2 Moonveil has announced a node sale, with Polygon Labs investing $2 million in the nodes. The project aims to raise more than $10 million, assuming all the available nodes were sold, according to the team: Starting Oct. 22, some 50,000 nodes will be available, helping accelerate the growth of AggLayer-connected projects in Moonveil's gaming ecosystem. Of the investment, $1 million will be used to foster these projects, with Moonveil's L2 offering seamless cross-chain integration. The node sale will feature a whitelist and public round. Moonveil aims to drive innovation and decentralization in Web3 gaming, with node activation set for Q1 2025." According to a blog post: "By following the developments in the Polygon CDK’s updates, Moonveil Muse Node will ultimately decentralize Data Availability (DA), as well as Proof Verification and Transaction Sequencing."

Folks.Finance Helps to Unlock Coinbase's Wrapped Bitcoin Alternative, 'cbBTC,' as Cross-Chain Collateral

The team at Folks.Finance, a community-driven decentralized platform providing permissionless DeFi tools across multiple networks, sent the following message: "For the first time, cbBTC’s utility as cross-chain collateral is unlocked with Folks.Finance, a community-driven decentralized platform providing permissionless DeFi tools across multiple networks. Folks.Finance users can deposit cbBTC, use it as collateral, and borrow against, making Folks.Finance the first cross-chain lending platform to support cbBTC on the Base blockchain.

Livepeer Hosts 'AI Demo Day' for 8 Projects in Startup Program, Opens Q4 Cohort

Livepeer, a decentralized video-streaming project, hosted an AI Demo Day, showcasing eight startups that participated in its AI Startup Program over the past three months. According to the team, "These groundbreaking startups are building the future of generative AI on decentralized infrastructure. They include: Flipguard, Katana Video, Newcoin, Operator, Origin Stories, Refraction, StreamEth and Supermodel. Applications are open for the Q4 cohort of the Livepeer AI Video Startup program, which includes $20K in grant funding. Applicants can apply here: https://livepeer.typeform.com/to/tMAF463P."

Apex Fusion, Federated Multi-Chain Network, Raises $6M in Private Token Sale

Apex Fusion, a federated multi-chain layer-1 network that aims to provide a seamless experience for future blockchain builders and developers by combining the best of UTXO and EVM transaction execution methods into a single decentralized ecosystem, has completed its first private token sale. According to the team: "The startup raised $6 million for its token ecosystem with a fully diluted valuation of $180 million. The AF team said the funds are for marketing and further developing its network, comprised of Prime, Nexus and Vector chains. It provides native bridges, interoperability protocols, and developer tools."

TON Society to Host TON Bootcamp in London on Oct. 10-11

TON Society sent the following message: "London’s first TON Bootcamp will bring top builders and innovators to the city. Hosted by TON Society and Flight3, this two-day Hackers League Bootcamp will take place Oct. 10-11 at Woolwich Works. Focusing on the TON and Telegram ecosystem, the event offers hands-on experience, networking with experts and interactive sessions. Aspiring founders can form teams, develop ideas and receive mentorship before pitching their projects. Three winners will each receive $5,000 and advance to the Hackathon finals, featuring a $2M prize pool and potential $500K investments."