Caldera, which raised $15 million in Series A funding, can it build an Ethereum-based Web3 developer platform?

In the early 21st century, the internet faced serious fragmentation issues, with a lack of effective connections between various networks, systems, and protocols, greatly limiting the development potential of the internet.
Similarly, Ethereum faces challenges: on the Ethereum Layer 1 (L1) network, the cost of cross-chain fund transfers is high and the speed is slow. Currently, infrastructure such as bridges and oracles still treat each chain network as isolated entities, making it difficult for network operators and validators to meaningfully participate across multiple ecosystems.

Under 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 funding brings Caldera's total funding to $25 million, having raised $10 million last year. Currently, Caldera is focused on building a project called "Metalayer," aimed at unifying 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 aggregation 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 aggregations through shared network effects.
Leading Caldera chains, such as Manta, Apechain, Kinto, Injective, RARI Chain, and Zerion's Zero Network, benefit greatly from its strong support and collaboration mechanisms. Its innovative Metalayer project aims to unify Ethereum's Layer 2 and Layer 3 ecosystems. Metalayer eliminates ecosystem fragmentation and enhances scalability and operational efficiency by integrating multiple Rollup frameworks, including Optimism, Arbitrum, ZKsync, and Polygon.

Caldera not only simplifies the deployment process for developers but also lowers the entry barriers for new projects, promoting broader developer participation and innovation. Caldera has already helped launch over 50 projects with its aggregation, including Manta Pacific, Injective, ApeChain, Plume Network, Kinto, RARI Chain, and Zerion's Zero Network. These aggregations have a total locked value of over $800 million and have completed over 59 million transactions across 1.7 million unique wallets. These figures clearly demonstrate Caldera's significant role and influence in advancing the Ethereum aggregation ecosystem.

Team Overview: Core founders from Web2 giants like Nvidia and Apple

In 2022, Matt Katz and Parker Jou founded Caldera, both of whom accumulated rich experience at top tech companies such as Nvidia, Apple, Waymo, and Skiff, laying the foundation for the establishment of Caldera. Since then, its leadership team has included experts from leading web3 and traditional tech companies, including Coinbase, Google, Scale AI, Jump Trading, and Amazon.
Caldera's mission since its inception has been to provide developers with an Ethereum-based web3 infrastructure platform. Company founder and CEO Matt Katz stated that the fundraising activities quickly attracted a series of heavyweight investors when they began in May of this year, successfully completing the funding by the end of the month. Although Caldera has not disclosed specific valuations or the roles of investors on the board, this round of funding undoubtedly provides solid financial support for the company's future technology development and market expansion.
Currently, Caldera has 14 employees and continues to expand its team to support product, design, and engineering needs. The company's co-founder and CTO Parker Jou, along with Matt Katz, both from Stanford University's computer science program, co-founded Caldera and are committed to advancing blockchain technology through innovative solutions.

About Metalayer: Supporting the growth of the Ethereum ecosystem and providing a development experience across multiple Rollups

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 abstraction layer across chains, built on top of Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon, and ZK stacks, achieving leaps in interoperability and developer convenience. This innovation not only simplifies the developer experience but also enables Ethereum to scale more effectively.

Caldera's CEO Matt Katz views Metalayer as a key advancement that enhances the developer experience across decentralized applications (dApps) based on multiple Rollups. Its goal is to leverage shared network effects to provide exceptional scalability, efficiency, and security.

Building Rollup Bridges:

The core goal of Metalayer 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 whole, Metalayer aims to eliminate fragmentation and liquidity islands. This integration not only simplifies the development process for dApp creators but also opens up new design possibilities for innovative networks and tokens across various Rollup stacks.

Promoting Ethereum's Scalability:

The scalability challenges faced by Ethereum are well-known, with high costs and slow transaction speeds hindering its widespread adoption. Metalayer addresses these issues by facilitating seamless interoperability between different Rollup frameworks. This interoperability is crucial for achieving network scalability without sacrificing decentralization and security. By creating a unified layer that supports multiple Rollups, Metalayer aims to amplify network effects, accelerating Ethereum's evolution into a scalable and decentralized blockchain platform.

Technical Foundation of Metalayer:

Caldera's technical approach involves integrating major Rollup stacks under a unified abstraction layer. This approach not only simplifies the development process but also enhances operational efficiency. Developers can choose a set of modular DA (Data Availability) layers, execution layers, and settlement layers based on their specific project needs. This flexibility empowers 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 entry barriers for new projects, Caldera enables a broader range of developers to participate in 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 benefits not only individual developers but also strengthens the overall Ethereum ecosystem. By promoting greater collaboration and synergy between different Rollup projects, Metalayer enhances the resilience and sustainability of the network. This collaborative environment encourages the development of scalable solutions that meet the diverse needs of decentralized applications across various fields, including finance, gaming, and NFT markets.
As Ethereum continues to evolve, the importance of scalable and interoperable solutions like Metalayer cannot be overstated. Caldera is advancing blockchain technology through Metalayer, enhancing the developer experience and paving the way for a more inclusive and robust Ethereum ecosystem. By unifying Rollup frameworks under a cohesive, coherent layer, Metalayer accelerates innovation, fosters collaboration, and drives Ethereum's vision of becoming the foundation for global decentralized applications.