Protocol Village: Pundi AI, Decentralized AI Training Project, Launches Testnet for Annotation Platform

In today's issue: Pundi AI.

Tuesday, Nov. 5

Pundi AI, Decentralized AI Training Project, Launches Testnet for Annotation Platform

Pundi AI, a decentralized AI training platform, has launched the testnet of its decentralized data annotation platform, Pundi AI Data, to democratize global AI data collaboration. According to the team: "Leveraging blockchain, the platform allows individuals and organizations to contribute, verify, and curate diverse, unbiased datasets. Users can earn through a 'Tag to Earn' model by annotating data for AI training, while blockchain-backed transparency ensures data integrity and trust. This testnet launch furthers Pundi AI’s mission of equitable AI development, enabling a secure, open and decentralized ecosystem for AI data and innovation."

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Monday, Nov. 4

Vlayer, Data-Infrastructure Project Powered by ZK Proofs, Raises $10 Million

Vlayer, a data-infrastructure project relying on zero-knowledge proofs, with privacy and verification tools, has secured $10 million in funding from a16z crypto CSX, Credo Ventures and Blocktower VC, along with builders from Aztec Protocol, Worldcoin, Eleven Labs. According to the team: "Open Alpha Launch is coming in days, just nine months driven by a team of over 20 experts across the U.S., U.K. and Poland. Vlayer extends Ethereum’s functionality with four new Solidity functions. It provides smart contracts with access to on- and off-chain data through features such as Time Travel, Teleport, Web Proofs (zkTLS) and email proofs (zkEmail)."

Term Finance Developer Launches New Venture, 'Blue Sheets,' for Institutional-Grade Fixed-Rate Yields

PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE: Term Labs, developer behind Term Finance, a protocol for noncustodial fixed-rate lending on-chain modeled after tri-party repo arrangements seen in traditional finace, is launching Blue Sheets, a new venture for institutional-grade, fixed-rate yields to all DeFi users on Ethereum and Avalanche — "no auction monitoring required," according to the team: "Building on Term Finance’s successful auction-based model, which has processed over $150 million in volume, Blue Sheets enables overcollateralized lending backed by blue-chip ERC-20 tokens. Partnerships with EtherFi and Ethena further enhance yields, making Blue Sheets a compelling alternative to centralized fixed-rate products."

TON Accelerator, Mantle Launch 'Synergy,' a $5M Cross-Chain Grant Initiative

TON Accelerator and Mantle are launching a $5 million cross-chain initiative to drive innovation across TON and EVM ecosystems. According to the team: "The initiative, dubbed Synergy, grants participants funding as well as comprehensive support across key areas, including product design, technical integration and go-to market strategizing, all in the pursuit of Telegram’s 950-million-strong userbase. Supported by TON Ventures and Mantle’s EcoFund, developers who join this cohort will leverage Mantle’s liquidity and scalable infrastructure alongside TON’s wide ecosystem."

Arcium, Parallelized Confidential Computing Network, Acquires Core Tech From Inpher

Arcium, a parallelized confidential computing network leveraging a distributed architecture, has acquired the core technology from Inpher, a confidential computing company powering privacy-preserving machine learning and analytics, according to the team: "Founded in 2015, Inpher has raised over $25 million from investors such as JP Morgan and Swisscom. Arcium is onboarding members from the Inpher team to accelerate the development of Arcium ahead of the mainnet launch. Patents acquired from Inpher will be made open-source in line with Arcium’s vision to democratize this cutting-edge tech across Web2 and Web3."

Spire Labs, Builder of 'Based Stack,' Raises $7M in Seed Round Led by Maven11, Anagram

Spire Labs, building what it calls the "Based Stack," which could be the first based rollup framework on Ethereum, has raised $7 million in a seed round led by Maven11 and Anagram, with participation from DCG, a16z CSX, Volt Capital, Bankless, L2IV, Finality Capital and notable angel investors. According to the team: "This framework enables developers to create based rollups, using Ethereum as the sequencing layer, that scale applications while leveraging Ethereum's network effects. With this funding, Spire will expand its development team to accelerate the progress of the Based Stack, advancing Ethereum's ecosystem and reducing fragmentation in scaling solutions." The project relies on a fork of Optimism's OP Stack.

SheFi, Project to Empower Women and Non-Binary Individuals in DeFI, Launches Wallet App Powered by Valora's Mobile Stack

SheFi, a global Web3 educational community, has launched its first mobile wallet app, powered by Mobile Stack's decentralized protocol. According to the team: "This secure, user-friendly wallet provides seamless access to crypto and DeFi with built-in educational tools, empowering users as they explore Web3. With support for stablecoin pools, cross-chain swaps and over 100 dApps, plus security features like biometric verification, it’s a comprehensive gateway to DeFi. Available on Google Play and the App Store, it’s accessible to all who want to join the SheFi experience."

Staking Protocol Swell to Hold TGE This Week

Swell, a non-custodial staking protocol, announced that its TGE (token generation event) will be held on Nov. 7. According to the team: "This moment will represent the culmination of the Voyage, which has seen Swell grow to a $1.5 billion TVL protocol, with TVL across multiple products, including liquid staking token swETH, liquid restaking token rswETH and BTC liquid restaking token swBTC."

World Says Super App Enabler Boxo Has launched eSIM in World App

The World team sent the following message: "Singapore-based super app enabler Boxo has launched their eSIM in World App. The integration allows people in 200 countries to easily purchase and manage eSIMs, enhancing their ability to stay connected while traveling worldwide, without the need for physical SIM cards. World App users can now enjoy the benefits of eSIMs, including the ability to manage multiple carriers, select international plans and activate mobile data on the go, all within the app interface they already know and trust."

TwentySix Cloud Sets $1M Program to Accelerate Startups' Move to Decentralized Cloud

TwentySix Cloud, a decentralized cloud marketplace powered by aleph.im network, has launched a $1 million startup program to help Web3 startups transition to move away from centralized cloud solutions like AWS and Google Cloud. "We aim to support the next generation of innovations DeFi, AI, and gaming with flexible, easy-to-use decentralized infrastructure," said Jonathan Schemoul, CEO of TwentySix Cloud.

Friday, Nov. 1

River, Protocol for Securing Communications, Acquires Llama, Protocol for Decentralized Governance

River, a protocol for securing communication for end users, has acquired Llama, a protocol for decentralized governance, to strengthen on-chain governance across its platforms, including Towns, its largest project, which launched in early October. According to the team: "This acquisition streamlines governance for communication platforms with customizable DAO permissions, allowing role-based control over actions like protocol upgrades, fund transfers and emergency pauses. Llama’s integration enhances token governance on River and adds built-in governance contracts for current and future platforms built on the protocol, expanding its capabilities."

Signchain, Decentralized Infrastructure for Secure Transaction Signing, Launches 'Signable'

PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE: Signchain, a decentralized infrastructure for secure transaction signing, has launched its Signable project, introducing the Self-Hosted Vault and an extendable smart contract framework for secure off-chain data signing. According to the team: "The open-source Self-Hosted Vault lets organizations encapsulate signing on their own servers with multi-custodian decryption. The Signable framework enables customizable smart contracts that bring off-chain data on-chain, integrating with platforms like Google Sheets, AWS, and Firebase. A Google Sheets integration is coming soon."

Kadena Appoints Former Circle Exec Beatrice O'Carroll as Strategic Advisor

Kadena, a layer-1 proof-of-work blockchain, has appointed Beatrice O'Carroll as a Strategic Advisor. According to the team: "With over 20 years of experience in financial services and crypto markets, including roles at Citibank, Deutsche Bank and Circle, O'Carroll will support Kadena's growth in digital assets and decentralized finance. Her appointment aligns with Kadena’s initiatives to expand its presence in institutional markets, develop new products, and strengthen its team. Kadena aims to enable mass blockchain adoption with scalable infrastructure and enterprise-grade solutions."

Axal, Recent Harvard Graduate's Startup to Build Network of Verifiable Agents, Raises $2.5M

Axal, describing itself as a "network for verifiable autonomous agents," is announcing its pre-seed fundraising of $2.5 million led by CMT digital. According to the team: "Axal was founded by a recent Harvard graduate Ash Ahmed. The startup is building a network of verifiable agents to competitively solve any Web3 task. The New York based startup is currently helping flagship crypto companies like Gitcoin." Axal is an alum of a16z Crypto Startup School.

Sonic SVM, First Instance of Grid on Solana's HyperGrid Framework, Partners With Solayer, Adrastea

Sonic SVM, built on the Solana concurrent scaling framework HyperGrid, has partnered with Solayer and Adrastea to enhance Solana delegator rewards and unlock liquidity through a liquid restaking experience, according to the team: "With over $50 million in SOL delegation on Solayer, Sonic SVM becomes the largest delegated AVS, offering an enhanced rewards program for Solana delegators. Through Adrastea, users gain access to $lrtsSOL, a liquid token pegged to $SOL, for additional DeFi utility. This collaboration strengthens Solana’s restaking ecosystem and aligns with the growing adoption of liquid staking tokens across the network."

Borderless.xyz, Payments Network Using Stablecoins, to Use Fireblocks Payments Engine, Wallet-as-a-Service

Fireblocks, a digital-asset security firm, and Borderless.xyz, a global payments infrastructure company that says it covers 50+ countries and 23 currencies, launched a solution that makes it easier and safer to connect traditional and digital asset transactions. From a press release: "Borderless, whose clients use stablecoins and fiat for seamless on-chain transactions, now utilizes Fireblocks’ Payments Engine and Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) for secure on/off-ramp flows, enhanced by Fireblocks Network, with seamless access to liquidity providers and exchanges." The following is an illustration of Borderless.xyz's end-to-end transfers using its Global Transfer Protocol, or GTP: "Combining collections with payouts allows GTP to orchestrate full end-to-end transfers across most global remittance corridors. Stablecoin settlements connects every PFI directly resulting in global coverage without an intermediary bank, resulting in faster transfers at lower costs compared to traditional correspondent banking."

BitGo Hires Former Silvergate President Reynolds to Oversee USD Standard Stablecoin

BitGo, a digital-asset custodian, has appointed Ben Reynolds as managing director and head of USD Standard, positioned as a "multichain U.S. dollar stablecoin." According to the team: "Ben will oversee the growth of BitGo’s USD Standard stablecoin and lead efforts to drive global adoption. Ben is a seasoned finance executive with over 25 years of experience in fintech, software, banking and asset management. Most recently, Ben served as president of Silvergate Bank, where he oversaw company-wide revenue growth and as a member of the executive team that scaled Silvergate to a public company (SI) in 2019."

Thursday, Oct. 31

BlockJoy Introduces 'BlockVisor 2.0,' a Bespoke Solution for Blockchain Node Operators

PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE:BlockJoy, a Web3 infrastructure company, introduced BlockVisor 2.0, a "bespoke solution for blockchain node operators, eliminating the need for costly cloud infrastructure," according to the team: "Operators can manage dedicated nodes on bare-metal servers without metered egress fees or virtualized latency. Users save up to 80% over AWS using BlockJoy’s tools to increase throughput while lowering operating costs. This version offers a fully Web3-specific toolset eliminating poorly fitting Web2 tools. BlockVisor 2.0 supports 30 protocols, including Ethereum, Polygon, and Solana."

Privado ID Launches 'Multi-chain, Device-Agnostic Identity Attestation Protocol,' Claiming Industry First

Privado ID (formerly Polygon ID), a privacy-focused digital identity platform, announced the launch of a "multi-chain, device-agnostic identity attestation protocol that allows people to seamlessly verify their credentials across multiple EVM-compatible blockchains," an achievement it describes as an "industry first." Evin McMullen, co-founder and chief strategy officer, said in a press release: "This protocol is the currently missing middleware infrastructure that mainstream Web3 ecosystems need to drive value continuously from the infrastructure toward the application layer.” According to the release: "At launch, Privado’s universal verifier is already deployed by such prominent blockchain ecosystems as Linea, Polygon PoS, Polygon zkEVM, and Ethereum, with more EVM and non-EVM networks scheduled for deployment in the coming months. Privado ID is also actively collaborating with blockchain ecosystems, protocols and enterprises and government entities to continue expanding the ecosystem of compatible platforms in the future. The new protocol introduces cross-chain compatibility, allowing users to verify their identity once and use it across any supported blockchain. These unified digital credentials, which can unlock access or capabilities for users used across multiple decentralized ecosystems and devices, offer a technically resilient form of identity compatible with legacy institutions like banks and governments."

Glow, Solar Acceleration Protocol, Discloses $30M in Investments Led by Framework, Union Square

Glow, describing itself as a "solar acceleration protocol decentralizing the electric grid," disclosed that it has secured a total of $30 million in investments led by Framework Ventures and Union Square Ventures (USV). According to the team: "Framework Ventures and USV co-led a $6.5 million raise and $23.5 million solar investment that will support the expansion of utility scale solar farms on Glow, commencing immediately in India." A press release stated:

Glow uses foundational decentralized physical infrastructure network (“DePIN”) principles, creating a solar acceleration flywheel similar in nature to Bitcoin mining. The model being utilized by Glow Protocol has already proven to be capable of producing large amounts of highly efficient infrastructure. The team has designed Glow’s incentive model to better reward farms that most effectively outperform the dirtiest energy grids, ensuring they meet societal demand for clean energy alternatives.

Robert Leshner's Superstate Introduces 'First-Ever Continuous Pricing Feature' for USTB Fund

Superstate, the crypto fund project led by Compound founder Robert Leshner, has introduced the "first-ever continuous pricing feature for its USTB fund, offering 24/7 Net Asset Value per share (NAV/S) updates, even during non-market hours," according to the team: "This upgrade allows investors to earn instant interest, eliminating delays seen in traditional fund management. As the first of its kind for any tokenized fund, it sets the foundation for future innovations, including atomic minting and redemptions (coming soon for USTB), enabling near-instant settlements, further enhancing liquidity management and investment precision."

Ellipsis Labs Raises $21M to Launch 'Verifiable Finance Blockchain' Atlas

Ellipsis Labs, the developer team behind the Solana-based decentralized exchange Phoenix, has raised $21 million from Haun Ventures to launch Atlas, a new blockchain purpose-built for what is being termed, "verifiable finance." Phoenix, their order book-style exchange on Solana, has already facilitated over $50 billion in trades since its 2023 launch, according to data from DefiLlama. Ellipsis says it plans to apply its learnings from building Phoenix to Atlas, a new network that will reportedly feature ultra-low fees and will be built for high transaction throughput. Initially launching as a layer-2 solution on Ethereum, Atlas is designed to plug into both Ethereum and Solana’s liquidity pools. Key features will include low-latency transaction processing, reliable oracle updates, and robust sequencing for non-custodial, on-chain price discovery, according to Haun Ventures.

Phylax Systems, Developer of 'Credible Layer' for Protocol Security, Raises $4.5M

Phylax Systems, a pioneering blockchain security startup born from the aftermath of one of DeFi's largest hacks, has successfully closed a $4.5 million pre-seed funding round to revolutionize blockchain security through its innovative Credible Layer protocol. The pre-seed round was led by Nascent Capital and Figment Capital, with additional support from Robot, Hash3, Bankless, BreedVC, and Public Works. A roster of prominent angel investors also participated, including Nic Carter, Nader Dabit and Eric Wall.

Mawari Network, DePIN for Spatial Computing, Plans Node Sale

Mawari Network, describing itself as a DePIN for spatial computing, announced a limited node license sale for its spatial computing DePIN. According to the team: "The node sale will make Mawari’s 3D streaming technology more scalable and accessible for content creators and developers. Mawari’s infrastructure is optimized for the demanding needs of immersive experiences, comprising the Spatial Streaming SDK and the Mawari Network. The SDK, supporting Unity and Unreal engines, empowers developers to create seamless, immersive experiences. The Mawari Network, working in parallel, leverages a decentralized network of GPU nodes to ensure low latency and optimal performance.

Axal, Network for Verifiable AI Agents, Emerges From Stealth With $2.5M in Pre-Seed Funding

Axal, a network for verifiable automous agents, is emerging from stealth with $2.5M in pre-seed funding to launch Axal Autopilot, an advanced agent-powered trading automation platform. According to the team: "Unlike typical trading bots, which handle basic functions like copy trading, Axal Autopilot enables personalized, multi-step strategies through autonomous agents. Integrated with Movement Labs' ecosystem (with $160M+ in TVL), it offers features such as risk-based portfolio allocation, automated yield harvesting (Aave v3, Uniswap), smart rebalancing, exit strategies and programmable yield distribution."

Coinbase's Base Adds Fault Proofs, Patching Achilles' Heel of Optimistic Setup

The U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase's layer-2 chain, Base, has enabled fault proofs on the main network, "marking a key milestone on our path to decentralization." The announcement comes four months after Optimism — the layer-2 blockchain upon which Base's technology is built — added fault proofs, a core feature at the heart of so-called optimistic rollups. According to a blog post from Base: "Fault proofs are an essential component of going from Stage 0, in which a rollup has 'full training wheels,' to Stage 1, which has 'limited training wheels.' This year, the Base core team collaborated closely with Optimism to bring the OP Stack Fault Proof System to Base. This enables a decentralized approach to proposing and validating L2 state, and paves the way towards more community participation." The post continued:

Fault proofs have two important capabilities to improve decentralization:

Soulbound, Decentralized Streaming Platform, Relaunches With New Design, Features

Soulbound, a decentralized streaming platform, has relaunched with a new design and interactive features, including real-time betting on live content. According to the team: "With the relaunch, Soulbound is integrating StreamFi and GambleFi, which will redefine how content is monetized on live-streaming platforms. Streamers can start earning from day one, as the platform pays in its native token, Soulbucks (SBX), based on views, interactions and other engagement metrics. Viewers will be able to place bets on Soulbound on in-stream events — like predicting a player’s next move or the outcome of live matches."

Redacted Launches Crypto Fund Backed by Saison Capital, Expert Dojo, Frekaz Group to Boost Web3 Startups

Redacted, a leader in Web3 data and entertainment, has launched The Redacted Fund to support early-stage investments in seven innovative projects. Announced at "Redacted Airways," the first airborne Web3 event, the fund aims to strengthen decentralized applications in entertainment, DeFi, and infrastructure. According to the team: "Founders can expect not just capital in tokenomics. By allocating part of our upcoming RDAC Token to portfolio companies, we provide incentives for growth."

Legion, On-Chain Fundraising Platform, Names Arbitrum as Preferred EVM Network

Legion, a merit-based on-chain fundraising platform aimed at reshaping early-stage crypto investment, announced Arbitrum, the leading Ethereum Layer 2 network, as its preferred EVM network for all on-chain activity. According to the team: "The platform leverages blockchain technology to provide a transparent and efficient way for projects to raise capital while ensuring investors can assess and support based on merit. By bringing its business to Arbitrum, its robust community will be able to invest in early-stage companies in a previously unprecedented manner."

Termina, SVM-as-a-Service Platform by Nitro Labs, Raises $4M in Seed Round

Termina, the SVM-as-a-Service platform by Nitro Labs, has raised a $4 million seed funding round, led by Lemniscap. [NOTE: SVM stands for Solana Virtual Machine — the operating environment for smart contracts on the Solana blockchain.) According to the team: "Recognizing the lack of SVM infrastructure offerings across the market, Nitro Labs got to work on building Termina, with a clear mandate to scale the SVM while empowering developers to create customizable Solana-based networks optimized for performance and privacy. Currently over 20 ecosystem partners are building alongside Termina, including both Solana-native and cross-chain projects, allowing developers to deploy and manage purpose-built SVM networks quickly and efficiently."

Deep Blue, Stablecoin Issuance Platform, Integrates With Arbitrum

Deep Blue, a newly launched stablecoin issuance platform aiming at developing the industry across real world and crypto applications, announce its integration with Arbitrum, the largest EVM layer-2 scaling solution by market value. According to the team: "This combines Deep Blue’s best-in-class stablecoin issuance with Arbitrum’s powerful and innovative layer 2."

Ika, Claiming to Be Fastest Parallel MPC Network, Launches on Sui

Ika, claiming to be the fastest parallel MPC network, launched on Sui, "offering secure, interoperable solutions across multiple chains like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana without traditional bridging. Ika empowers Move smart contract developers and enables institutional-grade scalability and security by leveraging Sui’s Mysticeti consensus and novel 2PC-MPC cryptography. This ultra-fast MPC network powers applications such as Programmable Bitcoin, DeFi interoperability, decentralized custody, chain abstraction and secure AI guardrails."

OKX Ventures, TOP, Folius Ventures Launch $10M 'Telegram Growth Hub' for Innovation on TON, Mini-Apps

OKX Ventures, The Open Platform (TOP) and Folius Ventures have launched a $10 million Telegram Growth Hub to accelerate innovation on the TON blockchain and enhance Telegram's mini-app ecosystem. According to the team: "The initiative will fund up to 10 projects focused on key areas such as user onboarding, on-chain trading features and mini-apps for gaming and entertainment that expand TON’s use cases. Selected projects will receive funding, developer resources (including OKX Connect) and mentorship. Applications are open until Nov. 29 at https://tally.so/r/mJk9R7."

Nebra, ZK Solutions Provider, Says Universal Proof Aggregation Live on World Chain

Nebra, a leading provider of zero-knowledge solutions, announced that its Universal Proof Aggregation (UPA) is live on the World Chain mainnet, delivering a first-of-its-kind scalable zk-proof solution to the network. According to the team: "Supported by the Community Grants Program Wave0 to help advance the World Network Tech Tree, NEBRA UPA introduces breakthrough efficiency in zk-proof verification tech, capable of cutting costs by over 90%. This makes privacy tech accessible, efficient, and censorship-resistant across World Chain, paving the way for more widespread, real-world adoption."

Truflation, With Digital Asset Solutions, Launches Its First Memecoin Index.

Truflation, in partnership with Digital Asset Solutions, has launched its first-ever Meme Coin Index, offering investors a unique way to track and invest in the memecoin sector, according to the team: "This index aggregates eight leading meme coins across multiple chains, including Shiba Inu, Pepe, Dogecoin and Floki, enabling diversified exposure to a $40 billion market. Traders can now access the booming meme coin economy through a single investment, simplifying portfolio management and providing a benchmark for sector performance."

ALEX, XLink Join With NEAR to Develop 'Bitcoin Oracle V2'

ALEX and XLink are joining forces with NEAR Protocol (NEAR) to develop Bitcoin Oracle V2. According to the team: "DeFi on Bitcoin finality is here and the Bitcoin Oracle V2 will allow a user friendly Native Bitcoin defi experience, cross chain functionality and solve liquidity fragmentation issues observed on Ethereum. The integration of Bitcoin Oracle V2 with XLink will enable ALEX to iterate and deliver an unparalleled permissionless and decentralized trading platform."

EtherMail, Unstoppable Domains Launch '.ethermail' Domains

EtherMail and Unstoppable Domains have launched “.ethermail” domains, unlocking single sign-on (SSO) capabilities for EtherMail’s 2.3 million users. The new .ethermail domains – enabling EtherMail users to replace long, complicated wallet addresses with a single, easy-to-read name – will be minted on Base, providing users with a cost-effective way to secure their digital identity. Users can log in to Unstoppable Domains using their EtherMail credentials. The new .ethermail domains will be automatically supported within Unstoppable Domains’ ecosystem of hundreds of dApps, wallets and exchanges.