Daniel Saks
Chief Executive Officer
The Web3 and blockchain landscape has never been more dynamic. Crypto VC funding reached $11.5 billion in 2024, with Q4 2024 alone seeing $3.5 billion in venture capital investment across 416 deals—a 46% quarter-over-quarter increase. After the crypto winter of 2022-2023, Web3 has entered a new phase characterized by institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and infrastructure maturity. The companies growing fastest aren't just riding hype—they're building critical infrastructure for the decentralized future. For go-to-market teams targeting this rapidly evolving sector, knowing how to identify and engage with these high-growth companies is crucial. Agentic AI platforms like Landbase now enable teams to find and qualify prospects in Web3 companies using natural-language prompts like "CEOs at blockchain infrastructure companies that raised Series B funding in 2024."
What They Do:
Monad Labs is building an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain with parallel execution architecture designed for high-speed smart contracts and DeFi applications. The platform achieves 10,000+ transactions per second (TPS) capacity while maintaining EVM compatibility, allowing developers to deploy existing Ethereum applications without modification.
Why They're Important:
Monad Labs represents the next generation of Layer-1 infrastructure that addresses scalability limitations while maintaining developer familiarity through EVM compatibility. The company raised $225 million Series B in 2024 led by Paradigm—one of the largest infrastructure raises of the year. This approach allows the ecosystem to benefit from Ethereum's established developer base while achieving the performance needed for mainstream DeFi adoption. The platform combines performance benefits of centralized systems with decentralized architecture.
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Praxis is building an "internet-native city" that implements network state concepts through blockchain principles. The platform aims to create physical communities governed by Web3 principles, representing a novel application of blockchain technology beyond purely digital assets.
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Praxis demonstrates how Web3 principles are expanding beyond financial applications into real-world governance and community building. The company raised $525 million in Q4 2024—the largest Web3-specific funding round that quarter and second-largest deal overall in Q4 2024. This represents a significant evolution in blockchain use cases, moving from purely digital assets to physical world applications and demonstrating investor confidence in Web3's potential to transform how communities are built and governed.
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Polymarket operates a decentralized prediction market platform that enables blockchain-based event betting and hedging. Users can trade on the outcomes of political events, economic indicators, and other real-world occurrences using cryptocurrency.
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Polymarket represents breakthrough validation of prediction markets, with trading volume increasing nearly 5x since the start of 2025. The platform successfully predicted major events including the 2024 US elections and 2025 NYC mayoral race, demonstrating the power of decentralized forecasting. Traditional financial interest in the platform demonstrates the blurring line between traditional finance and DeFi. As Charles Chong noted, "The line between fintech, TradFi, and crypto will continue to blur."
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Kalshi operates a CFTC-regulated event contracts platform that aims to be the "Nasdaq of prediction markets." The platform allows users to trade on macroeconomic, weather, and political events with regulatory compliance.
Why They're Important:
Kalshi demonstrates how regulatory compliance can be a competitive advantage in the prediction markets space. As the first CFTC-regulated prediction market exchange in the United States, the platform provides institutional legitimacy and access to traditional financial markets. While decentralized competitors face regulatory uncertainty, Kalshi's CFTC approval positions it to capture institutional and retail trading activity in a compliant framework. The platform represents the convergence of traditional financial regulation and prediction market innovation.
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Pump.fun provides an instant token minting platform that enables one-click memecoin creation and social trading features. The platform democratizes token creation by allowing anyone to launch tokens without technical expertise.
Why They're Important:
Pump.fun represents the democratization of token creation and the power of community-driven crypto assets. The platform contributed to over 13 million memecoins launched in the past year and raised $500 million ICO in July 2025, completed in minutes. While often dismissed as "retail froth," the platform demonstrates significant user demand for accessible token creation tools and has captured retail interest by lowering barriers to entry in the crypto ecosystem.
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Alchemy provides comprehensive blockchain infrastructure and developer tools that power some of the most popular Web3 products globally. The platform offers a complete developer experience with APIs, SDKs, and tools designed to bring Web3 to a billion people.
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Alchemy serves as critical infrastructure for the Web3 ecosystem, enabling developers to build applications without managing complex blockchain infrastructure. The company achieved unicorn status with a $10.2 billion valuation and earned a 616 SB Score, ranking 4th highest among unicorns. This developer-first approach accelerates Web3 adoption by reducing technical barriers to entry and powers infrastructure for leading Web3 applications globally.
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Solana operates a high-performance Layer-1 blockchain platform with low fees that supports DeFi, NFTs, and DePIN ecosystems. The network is known for its speed and efficiency, making it one of the most prominent blockchain ecosystems in 2025.
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Solana demonstrates how high-performance infrastructure can drive ecosystem growth. Native applications on the platform generated $3 billion in revenue over the past year, and the company achieved a 596 SB Score, ranking 3rd highest among startups. The platform's combination of speed, low costs, and developer-friendly tools has created a thriving ecosystem that spans DeFi, NFTs, and gaming. Planned upgrades are expected to double network capacity by year-end.
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Sardine provides fraud prevention and compliance infrastructure for fintech and crypto companies through API-based solutions that integrate identity verification and risk management. The platform secures transactions in Web3 environments while bridging traditional fintech security with crypto needs.
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Sardine represents the essential compliance and security infrastructure needed for Web3's mainstream adoption. As regulatory requirements increase, platforms like Sardine enable Web3 companies to operate within legal frameworks while maintaining innovation. The company addresses a critical infrastructure need as Web3 compliance requirements grow and is part of the growing trend of crypto compliance specialists that bridge traditional financial regulation with decentralized systems.
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DM2C Studio develops blockchain-based entertainment and digital asset ecosystems with a focus on interoperability and NFT utility. The platform bridges gaming, art, and decentralized ownership experiences across multiple verticals.
Why They're Important:
DM2C Studio demonstrates how Web3 can transform entertainment and digital ownership. The company achieved a 649 SB Score—the highest among all blockchain startups globally—through its multi-vertical approach spanning gaming, art, and entertainment. The platform's focus on interoperability addresses a key limitation in current NFT ecosystems, where assets are often siloed within individual platforms, enabling cross-platform digital asset use and creating new possibilities for digital ownership.
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Azra Games develops blockchain-based gaming experiences with play-to-earn and NFT gaming models. The company focuses on creating engaging gaming experiences that leverage blockchain technology for true digital ownership.
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Azra Games represents the massive growth opportunity in Web3 gaming, which was valued at $32.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $133 billion by 2033. The company secured $42.7 million Series A in Q4 2024—the largest gaming funding round that quarter. The company's focus on quality gaming experiences addresses previous criticisms of blockchain games prioritizing tokenomics over gameplay, demonstrating strong sector momentum as part of the Web3/Gaming/Metaverse category.
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For B2B companies looking to sell into this rapidly growing Web3 ecosystem, identifying and engaging with the right prospects at the right time is crucial. Traditional database approaches often fail to capture the dynamic nature of Web3 companies, which can experience rapid growth spurts following funding rounds or product launches.
This is where AI-powered audience discovery platforms like Landbase's GTM-2 Omni model become essential. Using natural-language prompts, teams can instantly identify prospects like:
Landbase's platform combines 300 million+ contacts with 1,500+ unique signals including funding rounds, hiring activity, tech stack changes, and website visitor intelligence. This enables go-to-market teams to build highly targeted prospect lists in seconds rather than days, ensuring they engage with Web3 companies at their moment of highest growth velocity.
Fastest-growing Web3 companies are typically defined by significant recent funding activity (particularly in 2024-2025), rapid user or revenue growth, high growth scores from platforms like StartupBlink, and strong market impact. Companies like Monad Labs ($225M Series B) and Praxis ($525M in Q4 2024) exemplify this growth through substantial recent funding rounds that indicate investor confidence and market opportunity. These companies demonstrate momentum through verified metrics including transaction volumes, active users, developer adoption, and ecosystem revenue generation.
Web3 and blockchain technologies differ from traditional internet models by enabling decentralized ownership, censorship resistance, and trustless transactions. Unlike Web2 platforms where companies own user data and control platform rules, Web3 enables users to own their digital assets and participate in protocol governance. This fundamental shift creates new business models and value capture mechanisms, allowing users to benefit directly from the platforms they contribute to rather than centralizing value in corporate entities.
CEOs play a crucial role in Web3 company success by providing technical expertise, navigating regulatory landscapes, and building strong communities. Many Web3 founders like Sam Altman (Worldcoin) and Stani Kulechov (Lens Protocol) bring deep technical expertise and previous entrepreneurial success, which proves essential for navigating the complex regulatory and technical challenges unique to the Web3 space. Their leadership combines vision for decentralized systems with practical execution in rapidly evolving markets.
Blockchain startups typically follow similar funding stages to traditional tech companies: seed funding, Series A, Series B, and later rounds. However, Web3 companies may also conduct token sales or ICOs as alternative funding mechanisms, as demonstrated by Pump.fun's $500M ICO. Recent examples of traditional VC rounds include Monad Labs' $225M Series B and Praxis's $525M raise in Q4 2024. The choice between token sales and traditional equity funding often depends on the company's business model, regulatory considerations, and target market.
AI contributes to Web3 company growth through enhanced analytics, fraud detection, personalized user experiences, and automated go-to-market strategies. For B2B companies selling into the Web3 space, AI-powered platforms like Landbase enable teams to identify and engage with high-growth Web3 companies using natural-language targeting that incorporates 1,500+ signals including funding rounds and hiring activity. This AI-driven approach dramatically reduces the time and effort required to build targeted prospect lists compared to traditional database querying methods, enabling teams to engage prospects at optimal moments.
Tool and strategies modern teams need to help their companies grow.