Why Venture Capital Is Betting Big on Monad
By Pratik Bhuyan November 10, 2024
Introduction
Venture capital interest in Monad has been heating up, with the blockchain raising an impressive $225 million in its latest round of funding. Led by Paradigm and backed by notable investors like Electric Capital and Greenoaks Capital, Monad has definitely caught the crypto space's attention. But what exactly makes this platform so enticing to investors? Let’s find out!
High Performance and Scalability
Monad is built with a core focus on throughput and efficiency, leveraging innovative approaches like optimistic parallelization. This allows the platform to process transactions more efficiently by predicting outcomes ahead of time and adjusting only when conflicts arise. This approach is not only faster but also lighter in computational load than more traditional blockchain systems, such as Ethereum or Solana.
Monad introduces a parallel Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which has piqued the interest of backers like Paradigm and Dragonfly Capital. By making EVM more parallelized, it increases throughput and allows for higher transaction volumes without the inefficiencies traditionally associated with Ethereum. This gives it a potential edge in attracting developers and users accustomed to the Ethereum ecosystem
Monad's ability to handle consumer-facing apps with massive daily active user counts is another draw. The platform estimates it could manage around 10,000 TPS for a single app—which is far more than the capacity of Ethereum. For VCs, this presents a promising opportunity to support consumer applications in the crypto space, such as DeFi, gaming, and NFTs, which require fast, scalable blockchains.
Backing from Heavyweights
Investors like Paradigm and Dragonfly Capital aren't just throwing money at Monad on a whim. These firms are known for their strategic investments in projects they believe can shape the future of blockchain technology. For example, Dragonfly Capital was one of the first backers of Monad during its seed round, and they continue to stand by it, citing the team's innovative approach and strong technical foundation as key reasons for their confidence.
Haseeb Qureshi from Dragonfly highlighted that Monad isn't just a bet on a team—it's a bet on an idea that could redefine blockchain scalability. VCs are particularly excited about how Monad might overcome some of the major limitations of existing platforms, including Ethereum and Solana, which have struggled with issues like network congestion and transaction order conflicts.
Addressing the Critics
Of course, not everyone is convinced. Some critics warn that Monad, like other high-throughput blockchains, could face issues such as state bloat—the inefficiency that arises when a blockchain must handle an overwhelming amount of data. However, Monad is actively load-testing and ironing out these potential issues before its mainnet launch, aiming to avoid the pitfalls encountered by other blockchains like Solana.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, VCs are betting big on Monad because it represents a fresh approach to blockchain technology—one that prioritizes speed, scalability and developer accessibility. While there have been some bumps along the way, it remains to be seen whether Monad can live up to the strong support it’s received from both investors and the community.