New Layer 1 network developer Pod raises $10 million in seed funding

Pod, a new project building a Layer 1 network without a consensus mechanism, has raised $10 million in a seed funding round.

A16z Crypto Startup Accelerator (a16z CSX) and 1kx co-led the round, with participation from Flashbots, Blockchain Builders Fund and Protagonist, Pod said Tuesday. Angel investors included Celestia's Nick White, Babylon's David Tse, Axelar's Sergey Gorbunov, Lau Ventures' Waikit Lau, and VentureFriends' Apostolos Apostolaki.

Pod's seed round began in July last year and closed in August, CEO Shresth Agrawal told The Block. He declined to disclose the round's structure or the post-money valuation.

What is Pod?

Pod is a spin-out of blockchain consulting firm Common Prefix, which has worked with projects like Celestia, Babylon, Axelar, Flashbots, Mysten Labs, Espresso Systems and Flare Networks.

After working with various projects at Common Prefix, Agrawal identified inefficiencies in traditional blockchains that rely on consensus mechanisms, which can cause delays. Pod is exploring an alternative approach with its consensusless Layer 1 network. Rather than requiring consensus — a process where all network nodes agree on transaction validity and order — Pod "streams" transactions directly to validators for attestation and timestamping. This method, according to Agrawal, could achieve transaction speeds of about 200 milliseconds, similar to the response time of a Google search. In comparison, traditional blockchains often take several seconds or even minutes to confirm transactions.

"When you have blocks on a blockchain, you must wait for a block to appear in order to receive a transaction confirmation, adding artificial delay. Our streaming design allows us to confirm transactions as soon as they receive sufficient signatures," according to Pod's website.

For web3 applications to achieve mass adoption, they must match the speed and seamless experience of web2 applications, Agrawal said, noting that Pod's infrastructure is being developed with this goal in mind.

Pod isn't the first network experimenting with a consensusless design. Mysten Labs' Sui also uses a similar approach but requires developers to learn the Move programming language, Agrawal said.

In contrast, Pod has created its EVMx framework — a "backward-compatible extension" of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), he said, adding that this allows developers to continue using Solidity, a more widely adopted smart contract language.

Pod aims to help create decentralized applications in gaming, social networks, stablecoin payments, decentralized exchanges and AI agents, but some DeFi applications like automated market makers (AMMs) that are strictly order-dependent cannot be deployed on Pod without modification, Agrawal said. However, he added that these systems could be adjusted to leverage Pod's network.

Pod's launch timeline

Pod plans to launch its devnet in the coming weeks, followed by a testnet in Q3 2025 and a mainnet launch in Q1 2026. The decision on whether Pod's token will launch alongside the mainnet remains undecided, Agrawal said.

Pod's core team consists of five members, with additional support from around ten people from Common Prefix, Agrawal said. Pod is currently hiring for select roles, including a founding engineer and developer relations lead, he added.

Agrawal and Pod's CTO, Alexis Brezas — both of whom previously worked at Common Prefix — remain "informal advisors and friends" to the blockchain consulting firm, Agrawal said.

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