In the early 21st century, the Internet faced significant fragmentation issues, with a lack of effective connections between various networks, systems, and protocols. This situation greatly limited the potential for the Internet's development.
Similarly, Ethereum faces challenges: on the Ethereum Layer 1 (L1) network, the cost of cross-chain transfers is high and the speed is slow. Currently, infrastructure such as bridges and oracles still view each chain network as isolated entities. Network operators and validators who wish to participate meaningfully in multiple ecosystems also face numerous challenges.
Based on these conditions, on July 24, the Rollup-as-a-Service platform Caldera completed a $15 million Series A funding round. This round was led by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, with participation from Dragonfly, Sequoia Capital, Arkstream Capital, Lattice, and other investment institutions. This round of financing brings Caldera's total funding to $25 million, having already raised $10 million last year. Currently, Caldera is working on a project called "Metalayer," aiming to unify the fragmented Layer 2 and Layer 3 ecosystems.
About Caldera: Supporting 50+ Rollups and 1.7 Million Wallets
Caldera is one of the fastest-growing rollup ecosystems on Ethereum, focusing on providing high-performance, customizable application rollup solutions for Web3 teams. Its network supports an ecosystem of over 50 rollups and 1.7 million wallets, enhancing the efficiency, scalability, and security of rollups through shared network effects.
Leading Caldera chains, such as Manta, Apechain, Kinto, Injective, RARI Chain, and Zerion's Zero Network, fully benefit from its robust support and collaboration mechanisms. Its innovative Metalayer project is dedicated to unifying Ethereum's Layer 2 and Layer 3 ecosystems. By integrating multiple rollup frameworks, including Optimism, Arbitrum, ZKsync, and Polygon, Metalayer eliminates ecosystem fragmentation, improving scalability and operational efficiency.
Caldera not only simplifies the deployment process for developers but also lowers the entry barrier for new projects, promoting broader developer participation and innovation. Caldera has already assisted over 50 projects in launching their rollups, including Manta Pacific, Injective, ApeChain, Plume Network, Kinto, RARI Chain, and Zerion's Zero Network. The total value locked in these rollups exceeds $800 million, with over 59 million transactions completed across 1.7 million unique wallets. These figures clearly demonstrate Caldera's significant role and impact in advancing the Ethereum rollup ecosystem.
Team Overview: Founders from Web2 Giants like Nvidia and Apple
In 2022, Matt Katz and Parker Jou founded Caldera, leveraging their extensive experience at top tech companies like Nvidia, Apple, Waymo, and Skiff. Their leadership team includes experts from leading web3 and traditional tech companies, such as Coinbase, Google, Scale AI, Jump Trading, and Amazon.
Since its inception, Caldera has aimed to provide developers with a web3 infrastructure platform based on Ethereum. Matt Katz, the company's co-founder and CEO, stated that their funding round, which began in May this year, quickly attracted a series of heavyweight investors and was successfully completed by the end of the same month. Although Caldera has not disclosed specific valuation details or the roles of investors on the board, this round of funding undoubtedly provides strong financial support for the company's future technological development and market expansion.
Currently, Caldera has 14 employees and continues to expand its team to support product, design, and engineering needs. Co-founders and Stanford University computer science graduates Matt Katz and Parker Jou are committed to advancing blockchain technology through innovative solutions.
About Metalayer: Supporting Ethereum Ecosystem Growth and Offering Cross-Rollup Development Experience
Supported by a $15 million Series A funding round led by Founders Fund, Caldera aims to unify the fragmented Layer 2 and Layer 3 ecosystems through its innovative Metalayer project.
Metalayer serves as a universal cross-chain abstraction layer, built on top of Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon, and ZK stacks, enabling leaps in interoperability and developer convenience. This innovation not only simplifies the developer experience but also allows Ethereum to scale the network more efficiently.
Caldera's CEO Matt Katz views Metalayer as a pivotal advancement in enhancing the developer experience across multiple Rollup-based decentralized applications (dApps). The goal is to leverage shared network effects to deliver exceptional scalability, efficiency, and security.
Building Rollup Bridges:
Metalayer’s core objective is to connect different Rollup frameworks within the Ethereum ecosystem. Currently, these frameworks include Optimism, Arbitrum, ZKsync, and Polygon, each operating independently with its own advantages and limitations. By integrating them into a cohesive system, Metalayer aims to eliminate fragmentation and liquidity islands. This integration not only simplifies the development process for dApp creators but also opens new design possibilities for innovative networks and tokens across various Rollup stacks.
Driving Ethereum’s Scalability:
The scalability challenges faced by Ethereum are well-known, with high costs and slow transaction speeds impeding its mass adoption. Metalayer addresses these issues by facilitating seamless interoperability between different Rollup frameworks. This interoperability is crucial for achieving network scalability without compromising decentralization and security. By creating a unified layer supporting multiple Rollups, Metalayer aims to amplify network effects, accelerating Ethereum’s evolution towards a scalable and decentralized blockchain platform.
Metalayer's Technological Foundation:
Caldera’s technical approach involves integrating major Rollup stacks under a unified abstraction layer. This method not only streamlines the development process but also enhances operational efficiency. Developers can select a set of modular DA (Data Availability) layers, execution layers, and settlement layers according to their specific project needs. This flexibility enables developers to innovate within their dApps while Caldera manages the infrastructure to ensure optimal performance and security.
Fostering Developer Innovation:
One of Metalayer’s primary goals is to democratize high-performance Rollup technology. By simplifying deployment processes and lowering the barrier to entry for new projects, Caldera enables a broader range of developers to engage with the Ethereum ecosystem. This democratization fosters a more vibrant innovation community where developers can experiment with new applications and token designs across interconnected Rollup frameworks.
Supporting the Growth of the Ethereum Ecosystem:
Metalayer not only benefits individual developers but also strengthens the Ethereum ecosystem as a whole. By promoting greater collaboration and synergy between different Rollup projects, Metalayer enhances the network’s resilience and sustainability. This collaborative environment encourages the development of scalable solutions that meet the diverse needs of decentralized applications, spanning finance, gaming, NFT markets, and more.
As Ethereum continues to evolve, the importance of scalable and interoperable solutions like Metalayer cannot be overstated. Caldera, through Metalayer, is advancing blockchain technology, enhancing the developer experience, and paving the way for a more inclusive and robust Ethereum ecosystem. By unifying Rollup frameworks under a coherent, unified layer, Metalayer accelerates innovation, fosters collaboration, and drives Ethereum towards its vision of being the foundation for global decentralized applications.
