Thrilled to share that we've raised $7M led by @a16zcrypto to build Seismic, the encrypted blockchain. 
TLDR
Ethereum launched with two key problems:
• Limited scalability
• Forced transparency
We've solved the first, but not the second. Today's major L1s are still transparent. Without encryption, their transactions remain exposed and scrutinized.
It's a fundamental bottleneck that prevents crypto from producing:
• Financial partnerships between local businesses and customers
• Investment vehicles designed for long-term positions
• Social experiences embedded in everyday payments
• and more
Why hasn’t transparency been solved?
For a decade, our industry has focused on encrypting wallet-level information— e.g. user balances and identities. While important for personal privacy, this doesn't enable new products. Without new products, encryption won't gain widespread adoption.
The solution?
Instead of encrypting wallet-level information, we need to encrypt app-level information— e.g. exchange parameters and vault transfers. This directly impacts app functionality, leading to new products.
But app-level encryption requires encryption at the base layer, something only possible when built into the foundation of the chain. It can’t be obtained by just bolting encryption onto an existing transparent chain.
That’s why we created Seismic, the encrypted blockchain.
Seismic removes the transparency bottleneck, allowing developers to build the new financial partnerships, investment vehicles, and social experiences mentioned above.
Seismic already powers early prototypes:
• Level: lets you trade assets based on belief instead of price.
• Folio: places you in one of the longest pay-it-forward chains in history.
Ethereum launched with two key problems:
• Limited scalability
• Forced transparency
We've solved the first, but not the second. Today's major L1s are still transparent. Without encryption, their transactions remain exposed and scrutinized.
It's a fundamental bottleneck that prevents crypto from producing:
• Financial partnerships between local businesses and customers
• Investment vehicles designed for long-term positions
• Social experiences embedded in everyday payments
• and more
Why hasn’t transparency been solved?
For a decade, our industry has focused on encrypting wallet-level information— e.g. user balances and identities. While important for personal privacy, this doesn't enable new products. Without new products, encryption won't gain widespread adoption.
The solution?
Instead of encrypting wallet-level information, we need to encrypt app-level information— e.g. exchange parameters and vault transfers. This directly impacts app functionality, leading to new products.
But app-level encryption requires encryption at the base layer, something only possible when built into the foundation of the chain. It can’t be obtained by just bolting encryption onto an existing transparent chain.
That’s why we created Seismic, the encrypted blockchain.
Seismic removes the transparency bottleneck, allowing developers to build the new financial partnerships, investment vehicles, and social experiences mentioned above.
Seismic already powers early prototypes:
• Level: lets you trade assets based on belief instead of price.
• Folio: places you in one of the longest pay-it-forward chains in history.
Seismic’s mission is to encrypt all chains, and we’ve assembled the right team to make it happen.
Our engineers combine deep expertise in cryptography, compilers, and distributed systems, bringing together industry veterans from titans like Wintermute and standout talent from institutions like Stanford.
Our engineers combine deep expertise in cryptography, compilers, and distributed systems, bringing together industry veterans from titans like Wintermute and standout talent from institutions like Stanford.
Today’s $7M fundraising round—led by @a16zcrypto and joined by @polychain, @1kxnetwork, @daofive, and @NGC_Ventures— is a major step forward.
Their support allows us to accelerate our vision.
Their support allows us to accelerate our vision.
Mentioned projects: github.com/SeismicSystems…
If you're excited by what we're doing, we want you on board. We’re sprinting to release our developer testnet four weeks from now.
We're actively hiring senior engineers with systems expertise to help us make it happen. docs.google.com/document/d/1el…
We're actively hiring senior engineers with systems expertise to help us make it happen. docs.google.com/document/d/1el…
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