The blockchain infrastructure landscape has undergone a profound transformation in 2026, evolving from experimental protocols into the foundational layer powering a new generation of decentralized applications. The startups leading this revolution are no longer focused solely on creating faster blockchains or lower transaction fees. Instead, they are solving fundamental challenges that have historically prevented blockchain technology from achieving mainstream adoption, including interoperability, scalability, data availability, and developer accessibility.
What distinguishes the current generation of blockchain infrastructure startups is their focus on becoming invisible enablers rather than platforms seeking direct user attention. These companies are building the picks and shovels of the blockchain economy, providing the critical services that allow thousands of applications to function seamlessly while abstracting away the complexity that has traditionally made blockchain development challenging. From data availability layers that support rollups to RPC infrastructure handling billions of requests daily, these startups represent the maturation of blockchain from speculative technology to production-grade infrastructure.
The companies profiled here are shaping how developers build, how applications scale, and how users interact with blockchain technology without necessarily knowing it. They represent billions in venture capital investment and power applications handling hundreds of billions in transaction volume. Understanding these infrastructure providers is essential for grasping where blockchain technology is heading in the years ahead.
1. Celestia
Celestia has emerged as the pioneering modular data availability network, fundamentally rethinking how blockchains are architected by separating consensus and data availability from execution. Founded originally as LazyLedger in 2019 by Mustafa Al-Bassam and his team, Celestia launched its mainnet in late 2023 and has since become the foundational data layer for a new generation of blockchain applications.
The company’s innovation centers on data availability sampling, a breakthrough technology that allows light nodes to verify data availability without downloading entire blocks. This approach enables Celestia to safely scale block sizes as more users join the network, with the roadmap targeting blocks of approximately one gigabyte by 2026 to support Visa-scale throughput for rollups. The recent Matcha upgrade expanded maximum block size from eight megabytes to 128 megabytes, and the network recently processed around 100 gigabytes of blob data per day for four consecutive days while maintaining 99.97 percent blob inclusion reliability, demonstrating production-readiness for high-throughput applications.
What makes Celestia particularly significant is how it enables developers to launch their own blockchains without needing to bootstrap a validator set or compromise on decentralization. Rollups and layer-two solutions can publish their transaction data to Celestia while maintaining sovereignty over their execution environments, creating a modular architecture where each layer specializes in what it does best. Major projects including Abstract, Doma, and various decentralized finance platforms have announced deployments on Celestia, validating the modular blockchain thesis. With data availability representing roughly 95 percent of the costs that rollups pay to their base layers, Celestia’s approach to dramatically reducing these costs could unlock entirely new categories of blockchain applications that were previously economically infeasible.
2. Syndica
Syndica is building the cloud infrastructure layer specifically optimized for Solana, providing the high-performance RPC node infrastructure that powers some of the ecosystem’s most demanding applications. Founded in 2021, the company has positioned itself as the enterprise-grade solution for developers who need reliable, scalable access to the Solana blockchain without the operational complexity of running their own validators.
The company’s elastic node architecture automatically scales to handle fluctuating demand, ensuring consistent performance even during periods of extreme network activity that have historically challenged blockchain infrastructure providers. Syndica processes billions of RPC requests monthly with 99.99 percent uptime, making it foundational infrastructure for major projects including Star Atlas and various decentralized finance protocols that require sub-100 millisecond latency for competitive operations.
What distinguishes Syndica from generic infrastructure providers is its deep specialization in Solana’s unique architecture. The company recognized that read operations account for approximately 96 percent of all calls made to Solana nodes, yet most infrastructure solutions primarily optimize for transaction throughput. This insight led to the development of Sig, a new Solana validator client written in the Zig programming language that focuses specifically on reads-per-second optimization, with early benchmarks showing 50 to 70 percent performance improvements compared to existing solutions.
Syndica’s platform includes comprehensive logging and analytics for every RPC call and response, giving developers the visibility they need to optimize their applications and debug issues quickly. The company’s global edge gateway architecture with regional caches reduces latency by serving frequently accessed data from locations closer to users, while maintaining redundancy and automatic failover for reliability. As Solana continues gaining adoption for high-frequency trading, decentralized finance, and gaming applications that demand real-time performance, Syndica’s infrastructure has become increasingly critical to the ecosystem’s growth.
3. ZetaChain
ZetaChain is pioneering universal blockchain interoperability through its novel approach to cross-chain communication. Rather than relying on bridges or wrapped tokens that have historically been vulnerable to exploits, ZetaChain functions as a Layer-1 blockchain specifically designed to orchestrate interactions across multiple networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and other major platforms.
The company’s breakthrough is enabling developers to write a single smart contract on ZetaChain that can natively interact with assets and execute logic across any connected blockchain. This “build once, deploy everywhere” model represents a paradigm shift from the current fragmented landscape where developers must deploy separate instances of their applications on each blockchain they want to support. ZetaChain’s Universal EVM allows developers to deploy a single smart contract that interacts with assets and data on any connected chain, fundamentally simplifying cross-chain development.
ZetaChain’s security model relies on Threshold Signature Schemes where a distributed network of validators collectively holds signing keys that can authorize transactions on external chains. This approach eliminates the centralization risks and custody concerns that have plagued traditional bridge solutions, where a small number of validators or multi-sig holders control substantial assets. The network uses Proof of Stake consensus built on the Cosmos SDK and Comet BFT, providing the scalability and finality characteristics needed for responsive cross-chain operations.
Recent developments demonstrate ZetaChain’s momentum toward production readiness. The network has integrated support for Sui, expanded its validator set to include enterprises like Google Cloud and Coinbase, and reduced block times toward its target of approximately two seconds. The company partnered with Google Cloud on a three-week hackathon leveraging Gemini AI models and ZetaChain’s cross-chain infrastructure, validating both the technical capabilities and developer interest in building universal applications. As blockchain adoption continues fragmenting across multiple competing platforms, ZetaChain’s vision of seamless interoperability addresses one of the ecosystem’s most pressing architectural challenges.
4. Zerohash
Zerohash has established itself as the leading crypto-as-a-service platform, providing the infrastructure that enables fintech companies, payment processors, and traditional financial institutions to integrate digital asset capabilities without building everything from scratch. The company handles the complex technical and regulatory requirements of cryptocurrency operations, allowing partners to focus on their core products while offering their customers access to digital assets.
The platform provides a comprehensive suite of services including liquidity aggregation, custody solutions, regulatory compliance frameworks, and settlement infrastructure. By managing relationships with multiple liquidity providers and exchanges, Zerohash ensures that partners can offer competitive pricing and reliable execution for their users. The custody infrastructure meets institutional security standards while remaining accessible through straightforward API integrations, dramatically reducing the time and cost required for companies to launch crypto offerings.
What makes Zerohash particularly valuable in the current regulatory environment is its deep expertise in compliance. The company maintains licenses and registrations across multiple jurisdictions, handling know-your-customer requirements, anti-money laundering monitoring, and transaction reporting on behalf of its partners. This regulatory infrastructure has become increasingly critical as governments worldwide implement more comprehensive frameworks for digital asset businesses. Rather than each company independently navigating these complex requirements, Zerohash provides a compliant foundation that scales across its entire partner ecosystem.
The company’s client roster demonstrates the breadth of its platform’s applicability. Payment companies, neobanks, trading platforms, and point-of-sale systems all leverage Zerohash to embed crypto functionality into their products. As digital assets continue moving from speculative trading toward practical utility in payments and finance, infrastructure providers like Zerohash that make integration simple and compliant are becoming essential enablers of mainstream adoption.
5. Polygon
Polygon has evolved from its origins as a simple Ethereum scaling solution into a comprehensive suite of infrastructure technologies that enable developers to build scalable decentralized applications. With over $451 million in funding raised, the company has become one of the most significant infrastructure providers in the blockchain ecosystem, powering applications that handle millions of transactions daily.
The company’s technology portfolio now spans multiple approaches to blockchain scaling. Polygon PoS provides an operational sidechain that offers fast, low-cost transactions while maintaining compatibility with Ethereum tooling and smart contracts. Polygon zkEVM brings zero-knowledge proof technology to Ethereum scaling, enabling rollups that inherit Ethereum’s security guarantees while dramatically reducing transaction costs. This multi-pronged approach reflects Polygon’s recognition that different applications have different requirements, and infrastructure should provide flexibility rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all solution.
What distinguishes Polygon in the increasingly crowded Layer-2 landscape is its focus on developer experience and ecosystem building. The company has invested heavily in tools, documentation, and partnerships that make it straightforward for developers to deploy on Polygon’s various networks. Major enterprises including Reddit, Starbucks, and various financial institutions have chosen Polygon for blockchain initiatives, validating both the technical capabilities and the company’s ability to serve demanding production use cases.
Polygon’s approach to modular infrastructure aligns with broader industry trends toward specialization and composability. Rather than trying to solve every blockchain challenge within a single monolithic system, Polygon provides specialized tools that developers can combine according to their specific needs. The company’s continued innovation in zero-knowledge proof technology positions it to benefit from the growing recognition that validity proofs will likely become the dominant approach to blockchain scaling in the years ahead.
6. Rain
Rain is building the global payments infrastructure for the stablecoin era, providing the technology that enables companies to integrate stablecoins into their products, platforms, and payment flows. As stablecoins have evolved from speculative trading instruments into serious contenders for cross-border payments and settlement, infrastructure providers that make stablecoin integration simple have become increasingly strategic.
The company’s platform handles the technical complexity of blockchain interactions, wallet management, and transaction monitoring while presenting developers with straightforward APIs that feel familiar to anyone who has integrated traditional payment systems. This abstraction is critical for mainstream adoption because it allows fintech companies to leverage blockchain’s advantages for global money movement without requiring their engineering teams to become blockchain experts.
Rain’s focus on compliance and regulatory frameworks addresses one of the primary concerns preventing larger financial institutions from embracing stablecoin technology. The platform includes built-in controls for transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and reporting, ensuring that companies using Rain’s infrastructure can meet their regulatory obligations. As governments worldwide develop clearer frameworks for stablecoin operations, having compliant infrastructure becomes a competitive advantage rather than just a checkbox requirement.
The use cases Rain enables span from credit card programs and cross-border payments to embedded wallets and yield-bearing accounts. By making stablecoins accessible through technology that integrates seamlessly with existing financial infrastructure, Rain is accelerating the transition from traditional correspondent banking networks toward programmable money that moves at internet speed. The company represents the critical infrastructure layer that bridges conventional finance and decentralized systems, enabling practical applications rather than just speculative trading.
7. Alchemy
Alchemy has established itself as the premier multi-chain developer platform, providing infrastructure that powers a significant portion of the blockchain economy. The company processes over $150 billion in yearly transaction volume and serves 70 percent of Ethereum’s top applications, making it one of the most consequential infrastructure providers in the space regardless of whether it’s technically considered a startup given its maturity.
The platform provides RPC node access, enhanced APIs, developer tools, and analytics across multiple blockchains including Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, and most recently Solana. Alchemy’s acquisition of DexterLabs in 2025 strengthened its capabilities in archival data infrastructure, enabling the platform to support full historical queries that many competing providers cannot reliably handle. This comprehensive approach allows developers to build applications that span multiple blockchains while managing infrastructure through a single platform.
What makes Alchemy particularly valuable for developers is the suite of enhanced APIs that go beyond basic blockchain access. The platform offers NFT APIs that simplify working with non-fungible tokens, transaction simulation tools that help prevent failed transactions, and notify APIs that enable applications to respond to blockchain events in real-time. The comprehensive analytics and debugging tools give developers visibility into their applications’ performance and user behavior, enabling data-driven optimization that would be difficult to achieve with raw blockchain access alone.
Alchemy’s transparent pricing model based on compute units rather than per-request pricing provides cost predictability that has become increasingly important as applications scale. The platform’s reliability and performance have made it the infrastructure of choice for leading applications across decentralized finance, NFTs, gaming, and enterprise blockchain initiatives. As blockchain development continues maturing from experimental projects toward production applications serving millions of users, Alchemy’s comprehensive platform approach positions it as essential infrastructure for the industry’s growth.
8. Helium
Helium is pioneering decentralized wireless infrastructure through a novel incentive model where individuals deploy hotspots that provide connectivity in exchange for token rewards. With over $200 million raised in Series D funding at a $1.2 billion valuation, the company has demonstrated that blockchain incentives can coordinate the deployment of physical infrastructure at a scale that would be difficult for traditional approaches.
The network originally focused on providing low-power wide-area connectivity for Internet of Things devices, creating coverage in locations where traditional cellular networks are too expensive to deploy. More recently, Helium has expanded into 5G mobile connectivity, allowing users to deploy small cells that provide cellular coverage while earning rewards. This expansion demonstrates the versatility of the decentralized infrastructure model and positions Helium to compete with traditional telecommunications companies in specific use cases.
What makes Helium’s approach particularly innovative is how it aligns economic incentives to solve coordination problems that have historically required centralized planning. Rather than a telecommunications company deciding where to deploy infrastructure based on projected return on investment, Helium’s model allows individuals to deploy hotspots wherever they see opportunity, creating bottom-up network growth that naturally responds to actual demand. The network’s proof-of-coverage mechanism ensures that hotspots actually provide useful connectivity rather than just claiming rewards without delivering service.
The company’s migration to the Solana blockchain in 2023 reflected practical considerations about scalability and transaction costs that would have limited growth if Helium had remained on its original blockchain architecture. This pragmatic approach to infrastructure choices, prioritizing what works over loyalty to specific technologies, characterizes successful infrastructure companies that serve real use cases rather than ideological positions. As decentralized physical infrastructure networks gain traction across various domains from wireless to energy to computing, Helium’s success provides a template for how blockchain incentives can coordinate real-world infrastructure deployment.
9. Axoni
Axoni provides blockchain infrastructure specifically designed for financial institutions, focusing on post-trade processing, data synchronization, and workflow automation for capital markets. Unlike consumer-facing blockchain applications, Axoni’s solutions address the backend processes that make financial markets function, bringing blockchain’s benefits of shared truth and automated settlement to some of the world’s largest financial institutions.
The company’s technology has been deployed for critical financial market infrastructure including the DTCC’s Trade Information Warehouse for credit derivatives, which processes trillions of dollars in notional value. Axoni’s distributed ledger technology enables multiple parties to maintain synchronized views of complex financial instruments while respecting the privacy and confidentiality requirements that are non-negotiable in institutional finance. This approach demonstrates that blockchain can provide value in permissioned, enterprise contexts that look quite different from public, decentralized systems.
What distinguishes Axoni from general-purpose blockchain platforms is its deep understanding of capital markets operations and regulatory requirements. The company’s solutions handle the complexity of corporate actions, lifecycle events, and settlement workflows that make financial instruments challenging to manage on generic blockchain systems. By building infrastructure specifically for these use cases, Axoni has achieved production deployments that process real business volume rather than remaining perpetual pilots.
The success of Axoni’s approach validates that blockchain technology’s benefits extend beyond cryptocurrency and decentralized finance into traditional financial infrastructure. Shared ledgers that reduce reconciliation burdens, smart contracts that automate complex workflows, and cryptographic techniques that enable computation on shared data while preserving privacy all provide genuine value for institutions. As more financial market infrastructure migrates toward blockchain-based systems, Axoni’s specialized focus and proven track record position it as a leader in the enterprise infrastructure space.
10. TRM Labs
TRM Labs develops blockchain intelligence software that helps financial institutions, cryptocurrency businesses, and government agencies understand and manage the risks associated with digital assets. As blockchain transactions are inherently transparent but pseudonymous, specialized analytics tools are necessary to identify illicit activity, ensure compliance with sanctions and anti-money laundering regulations, and assess counterparty risk.
The company’s platform analyzes blockchain transaction patterns to identify addresses associated with various risk categories including sanctioned entities, ransomware operators, scam operations, and money laundering services. This intelligence allows cryptocurrency exchanges to screen deposits and withdrawals, financial institutions to assess exposure to digital assets, and law enforcement to investigate crypto-enabled crimes. The sophistication of TRM’s analytics reflects years of research into blockchain forensics and the transaction patterns that distinguish legitimate activity from illicit operations.
What makes TRM’s infrastructure increasingly critical is the maturation of regulatory frameworks requiring cryptocurrency businesses to implement the same anti-money laundering and know-your-customer processes as traditional financial institutions. The Financial Action Task Force’s travel rule for virtual assets, Treasury Department sanctions against specific addresses, and various jurisdictions’ licensing requirements all necessitate blockchain monitoring capabilities that go well beyond what individual companies can build in-house.
TRM’s technology covers major blockchains including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and various other networks, providing consistent risk assessment across the multi-chain ecosystem. The company’s partnerships with regulatory agencies and law enforcement provide unique insights into emerging threats and compliance best practices that feed back into improving the platform’s detection capabilities. As digital assets continue moving toward mainstream financial integration, the infrastructure that enables compliant operations becomes just as critical as the technology that enables transactions themselves.
The Infrastructure Foundation
These ten startups represent the diverse infrastructure needs of a maturing blockchain industry. From fundamental questions about data availability and cross-chain interoperability to practical concerns about developer tools and regulatory compliance, each company addresses challenges that must be solved for blockchain technology to fulfill its potential beyond speculative trading.
The blockchain infrastructure landscape in 2026 is characterized by increasing specialization and professionalization. The era of general-purpose platforms claiming to solve every problem has given way to focused companies that excel at specific infrastructure domains. This specialization enables the composability and modularity that characterize modern blockchain architecture, where applications can combine best-in-class infrastructure components rather than being locked into monolithic platforms.
Looking ahead, the success of these infrastructure providers will likely determine which blockchain applications achieve mainstream adoption. The most innovative application concepts will fail if underlying infrastructure cannot provide the performance, reliability, and compliance that users expect from production systems. Conversely, robust infrastructure enables experimentation and innovation at the application layer without developers needing to solve fundamental platform challenges.
The substantial venture capital investment flowing into blockchain infrastructure reflects recognition that these companies are building foundational layers for a new architecture of digital systems. Whether blockchain ultimately fulfills the decentralization vision of its advocates or primarily serves as more efficient infrastructure for existing institutions, the companies profiled here are shaping what that future looks like through the technical and business choices they make today.
