How can Layer2 projects break through the intense competition? Truly achieving interoperability among thousands of chains is the key!

On March 11, 2024, Eclipse Labs announced the completion of a $50 million Series A funding round, co-led by Placeholder and Hack VC. In 2022, Eclipse had already completed $15 million in Pre-seed and seed funding with a valuation exceeding $100 million. Currently, the project's total funding has reached $65 million.

It is reported that Eclipse is dedicated to creating a Rollup platform with core advantages, aiming to enhance the compatibility, security, and scalability of blockchain technology. The following introduces the Eclipse project.

Eclipse's Core Purpose: Building a Stronger Layer 2 Solution Through the Performance of the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)

The recently announced Eclipse Mainnet project by Eclipse Labs marks a new innovative phase in blockchain technology. This platform adopts a multidimensional integrated technical architecture, cleverly combining the robust security of Ethereum, the outstanding performance of Solana, and the advanced data availability (DA) technologies like Celestia. Its core goal is to build the fastest and most adaptable Layer 2 solution in the market through the powerful execution capability of the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM). This is not just a convergence of technologies but also reflects Eclipse's high regard for openness and customizability.
As a Rollup solution, Eclipse provides a new perspective on blockchain interoperability and customization. The platform supports compatibility with multiple Layer 1 blockchains, offering developers unprecedented freedom. They can now freely choose and customize various components from execution environments (such as EVM, SVM, MoveVM, etc.) to data availability layers (such as Celestia, Polygon Avail, EigenDA, etc.) based on individual or project needs. This open and flexible design philosophy not only allows Eclipse to adapt to various data availability requirements but also enables these different layers to share Eclipse's settlement layer, further enhancing the integration and efficiency of the technology.
Eclipse's settlement layer plays a unique role in its architecture; it relies on Celestia for sovereign aggregation, focusing on bridging and transmitting proofs without directly participating in the execution of any smart contracts. This innovative "settlement aggregation" model delegates all execution operations to independent execution chains, ensuring efficient transaction processing while laying the foundation for the platform's scalability and flexibility.

Through this design, the Eclipse Mainnet is not only a product of technological innovation but also an expansion of the application prospects of blockchain technology. It demonstrates how to address existing challenges, improve transaction efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately achieve broader decentralized application (DApp) deployment through the integration and customization of technology. As Eclipse continues to develop and improve, it may become a key force driving innovation and the widespread application of blockchain technology.
The launch of the Eclipse Mainnet not only reflects the strength and innovative spirit of the Eclipse Labs technical team but also proves to the entire blockchain community that effective performance and adaptability can be achieved through technological integration and customized design. In the future, as more developers and projects choose Eclipse as their technical platform, we have reason to believe that Eclipse will play an increasingly important role in the application and development of blockchain technology, sparking a new wave of technological revolution.

Over-reliance on Terra in the Early Stages Led to Continuous Turmoil; How Did Eclipse Gradually Emerge from the Shadows of the Industry?

In October 2022, a significant news story in the blockchain world attracted widespread attention: former Terra ecosystem developer Neel Somani successfully raised $15 million for his new project, Eclipse. This marked an important turning point, not only a new chapter in Somani's personal career but also a significant contribution to the entire Solana ecosystem. Eclipse, as a cross-chain modular Rollup startup based on Solana, demonstrates the spirit of learning from failure and moving forward.
After the failure of his project Terranova in the Terra ecosystem, Somani was not defeated. Instead, he drew valuable lessons, particularly about the importance of avoiding single points of failure, and based on these experiences, built a protocol capable of flexibly swapping its Layer 1 components. This innovative thinking attracted widespread market attention and successfully garnered support from investors, including Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko.
In the summer's Pre-Seed funding round, Eclipse raised $6 million from investors like Yakovenko and Polygon. This successful funding round was soon followed by a $9 million seed round led by Tribe Capital and Tabiya. Somani views this funding achievement as the culmination of his past experiences, especially his profound understanding of how to build more robust and reliable blockchain solutions.
Somani's background is equally impressive. As a former quantitative analyst at Citadel, his crypto engineering career initially began as a part-time job. During the development of TerraNova, he envisioned the possibility of utilizing the Solana virtual machine to explore "somehow, shape, or form making it its own chain." After the collapse of the Terra project, Somani did not stop but continued to move forward, leveraging his previously established network and his geographical advantage near Solana's headquarters in Chicago to create Eclipse.
While achieving significant success in securing investor support, Somani and his team members, including Chief Growth Officer Vijay Chetty, Engineering Director David Lin, and Chief of Staff Kayla Bu, are committed to further developing Eclipse. According to Somani, Eclipse plans to open-source its first protocol version early next year, indicating that its technology and innovation may have a profound impact on the entire blockchain ecosystem.
Meanwhile, some other prominent figures in the Terra ecosystem are facing legal challenges, including the recent arrest of the former head of TerraForm Labs in South Korea (although the arrest warrant was later dismissed). Against this backdrop, Somani and Eclipse's story provides an inspiring example, demonstrating that even in the face of adversity, new development paths can be opened through innovation and perseverance.

The Mainnet Will Launch in Q2; Can Eclipse Unlock the Trillion-Dollar Value Cycle Between Solana and Ethereum?

With the announcement of OKX Ventures' strategic investment in Eclipse, Eclipse—the first Ethereum Layer 2 solution running in the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) environment—is facing new transformation and growth opportunities. This investment not only marks recognition of Eclipse's technological maturity but also indicates that its foundational technical support for providing fast, secure, and flexible Web3 application interactions will be further strengthened.
Eclipse's modular components allow developers to customize development in diverse execution environments such as EVM, SVM, and MoveVM, combining with data availability (DA) layers like Celestia, Polygon Avail, and EigenDA for efficient data settlement. This flexibility not only creates a friendly development environment for the developer community but also ensures that end users can enjoy the safest and most economical interaction experience, thanks to the efficient and secure ZK fraud proof technology RISC Zero adopted by Eclipse.

The news that Eclipse will launch its mainnet in the second quarter of this year further deepens expectations for its technological strength and market potential. Following the successful launch of the testnet, Eclipse has issued commemorative NFT rewards to the first developers who deployed contracts on the platform, which not only incentivizes community participation but also showcases Eclipse's commitment to promoting high-quality DApp development.
However, the challenges faced by Eclipse cannot be ignored. With the release of its mainnet architecture, Eclipse will need to find a balance amidst technological upgrades, ecosystem expansion, and market fluctuations. Particularly in the increasingly competitive crypto market, how to continuously provide innovative solutions while ensuring the stability and security of the platform will be important issues for Eclipse to address.
Token unlock events and upcoming market dynamics will also present new liquidity challenges for Eclipse. How to absorb newly unlocked tokens without affecting price stability will be a test of Eclipse's market resilience.
Overall, Eclipse stands at the new forefront of Web3 development, with both potential and challenges. As technology continues to advance and the ecosystem expands, Eclipse's role in the cryptocurrency field is becoming increasingly prominent. For investors and users, this is a critical moment to closely monitor and assess Eclipse's long-term development potential.