vlayer Raises $10 Million to Make Smart Contracts Useful for Billions

TL;DR – Key Takeaways

• $10M Pre-Seed Round Backed by Leading VCs and Builders: vlayer secures funding from a16z crypto CSX, Credo Ventures, Blocktower VC, and builders from Aztec Protocol, World, Eleven Labs, and others.
• Open Alpha Launch Achieved in Just 9 Months: vlayer’s rapid progress, driven by a team of over 20 experts across the US, UK, and Poland, extends Ethereum’s functionality with four new Solidity functions.
• Verifiable Infrastructure Layer: vlayer 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).
• Empowering Smart Contracts with Zero Knowledge Proofs: Leveraging cutting-edge cryptography including ZKPs and Multi-Party Computations (MPC), vlayer meets the growing need for verifiability amid the rise of AI and decentralized apps.

Blitzscaling the Productization of Cryptography for the Masses

Nine months ago, we set out to achieve a bold goal: to productize state-of-the-art cryptography and bring it to developers at scale. We believe that this is the recipe for bringing smart contract technology into the hands of millions—and making decentralized applications truly useful.

Today, we’re thrilled to announce the close of our $10 million pre-seed funding round by a16z crypto CSX, Credo Ventures, and Blocktower VC, with additional support from builders at Aztec Protocol, World, Eleven Labs, and other top tech companies.

This milestone reflects more than just funding—it validates our mission to empower developers with the tools they need to create applications that connect seamlessly with the real economy and unlock new possibilities for the decentralized internet.

Our Story and Why We Built vlayer

At vlayer, we’re driven by firsthand experience of the limitations of centralized systems and a deep understanding of what developers need to succeed. Our backgrounds reflect this complementary focus:

• Hubert co-founded Nethone, an AI-powered fraud prevention engine that scaled to serve over 100 enterprises globally with a team of around 125 people. The company was eventually acquired by Mangopay, a private equity-owned payment service provider (PSP). During this time, Hubert observed the limitations of centralized data storage and processing—such as trust dependencies and bottlenecks—which sparked his interest in how decentralized infrastructure could offer better solutions.
• Marek has founded, built and sold two tech companies (Ethworks and El Passion), giving him unique experience in attracting, training, and retaining top technical talent. He also created useDapp and Waffle, two popular open-source frameworks—with Waffle powering over 100,000 Solidity projects. His expertise in developer tools and team building makes him ideally suited to build infrastructure that empowers blockchain developers.

With these experiences in mind, vlayer was born. We knew that bridging the gap between blockchain and the real world required tools that allowed seamless, verifiable interactions between on-chain and off-chain systems. Our mission is to provide those tools—so developers can build apps that matter, apps that connect seamlessly with everyday life.

Accelerating Towards Our Open Alpha

Since September 2024, we’ve been part of the a16z crypto CSX accelerator in New York City, gaining incredible insights and momentum. Now, as we approach graduation from the program, we’re excited to launch our open alpha and invite developers to build with us.

In just nine months, our team of 20 experts across the US, UK, and Poland has built the core of vlayer’s infrastructure. This rapid progress reflects our belief that the future of decentralized applications lies in trustless, verifiable data connections.

Introducing Four New Solidity Functions

Our open alpha release extends Ethereum’s functionality with four new Solidity functions that unlock powerful new use cases:

• Time Travel: Execute smart contracts using historical on-chain data.
• Teleport: Run contracts across multiple EVM-compatible networks.
• Web Proofs (zkTLS): Verify and integrate web content, including APIs and websites.
• Email Proofs (zkEmail): Access and verify email content.

These functions allow developers to seamlessly combine on-chain and off-chain data, making smart contracts more capable than ever before.

Building the Future of dApps Together

Ethereum has paved the way for the decentralized internet, but current dApps are limited by their inability to interact with real-world data and on-chain computational bottlenecks. We believe that the key to solving these challenges lies in frontier cryptographic technologies such as Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) and Multi-Party Computations (MPC).

The need for verifiable, trustless data is only going to increase as AI and decentralized applications continue to grow. That’s why we’re building vlayer—to provide a platform where private data can be used trustlessly, without compromising usability or developer experience.

We’re excited about the possibilities ahead and eager to build the infrastructure needed to connect Web2 and Web3—helping developers create dApps that are both relevant and reliable.

Thank You for Believing in Us

We’re incredibly grateful to our investors, partners, and early supporters for believing in our mission and helping us reach this milestone. But this is only the beginning. We invite developers to join us on this journey—explore our open alpha and shape the future of decentralized applications with us.

Let’s build a world where smart contracts connect seamlessly with the real economy, enabling apps that solve real problems and make a meaningful impact.