Optimum, a decentralized performance-enhancing memory layer for blockchains, has raised an $11 million seed round to tackle Web3’s missing memory layer problem.
Web3 lacks a dedicated memory layer, making its current architecture inefficient and difficult to scale. Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) offers a solution by enhancing data propagation and storage efficiency in decentralized systems.
The Web3 memory layer refers to a proposed layer of the internet that enables decentralized, secure, and persistent storage of data.
This layer is designed to provide a trustless and censorship-resistant environment for storing and retrieving digital assets.
The Web3 memory layer uses blockchain technology and distributed ledger systems to ensure immutability and transparency.
It also enables the creation of smart contracts that can interact with stored data.
By providing a secure and decentralized storage solution, the Web3 memory layer aims to revolutionize the way we store and manage digital information.
Optimum, a decentralized performance-enhancing memory layer for any blockchain, has raised an $11 million seed round. The funding was led by 1kx with participation from prominent investors such as Robot Ventures, Finality Capital, Spartan, CMT Digital, SNZ, Triton Capital, Big Brain, CMS, Longhash, NGC, Animoca, GSR, Caladan, Reforge and others.
Optimum funding refers to the most effective and efficient allocation of financial resources to achieve specific goals.
It involves analyzing costs, benefits, and risks to determine the optimal investment or expenditure level.
Key factors influencing optimum funding include return on investment (ROI), cash flow management, and risk assessment.
A well-planned funding strategy can minimize waste, maximize returns, and ensure long-term sustainability.
At the core of Optimum‘s innovation is a method of decentralized coding for distributed systems, known as Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC). Developed by Muriel Médard, an MIT professor who is speaking at Consensus Toronto 2025, RLNC tackles inefficient data propagation, redundant storage, and slow access. Without a scalable memory layer, blockchains face systemic inefficiencies, including outdated gossip networks that redundantly propagate data, congested memepools that cause unpredictable delays, and bloated nodes that make retrieval costly and complex.
Real-time network communication (RLNC) refers to the exchange of data between devices in real-time, allowing for immediate interaction and feedback.
RLNC is used in various applications, including video conferencing, online gaming, and live streaming.
It involves the use of protocols that ensure low latency and high-speed data transfer.
According to a report by Cisco, global internet traffic will increase by 26% annually from 2020 to 2025, driven in part by the need for real-time communication.
Optimum’s memory infrastructure uses Médard’s RLNC coding scheme to optimize data propagation, storage, and access. This solution is now live on a private testnet, inviting L1s, L2s, validators, and node operators to experience its decentralized memory layer in action. By solving the missing memory layer problem, Optimum aims to make the way data is stored, accessed, and propagated faster, cheaper, and truly decentralized.
The lack of a dedicated memory layer in Web3 has significant implications for the scalability and efficiency of blockchain architectures. Without an optimized solution, blockchains struggle with outdated gossip networks, congested memepools, and bloated nodes. Optimum’s RLNC coding scheme offers a promising solution to these challenges.
Optimum is now part of the commercial crypto arena, inviting its creators from institutions like Harvard and MIT to bring their expertise to the market. By participating in this seed round, investors are supporting the development of a decentralized performance-enhancing memory layer that has the potential to revolutionize the way data is stored, accessed, and propagated in Web3.
