a16z Pours $55M into LayerZero with Tokens Locked for 3 Years
Andreessen Horowitz has taken a $55M position in LayerZero with a 3-year token lockup. The token’s price rose 10% on the heels of the news.
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LayerZero, a protocol built for seamless blockchain interoperability, has received a fresh $55 million capital injection from venture powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz. The news sent its native token ZRO soaring 10%, though gains were later tempered by market recalibration.
The deal’s structure—with a three-year token lock—points to a16z’s deep-rooted confidence in LayerZero’s long-term value.
At press time, ZRO trades above $2.40, logging stronger 24-hour performance than both BTC and the wider crypto market.
LayerZero and a16z: A Deepening Partnership
The new round was confirmed by Ali Yahya, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. It’s far from the firm’s first bet on LayerZero.
Previous investments include:
- A $135 million Series A in 2022
- A $120 million Series B in 2023.
These milestones helped push LayerZero’s valuation to $3 billion after the latest round.
Our global financial system is evolving, and it's great to see the protocol enabling many new businesses and complex workflows to move onchain,
remarked Ali Yahya, General Partner at a16z, in a recent post on X.
LayerZero’s Series B round drew in 33 investors overall, among them heavyweights like Circle Ventures, OKX Ventures, OpenSea Ventures, and Sequoia Capital—each placing their bets on the protocol’s long-term promise.
LayerZero: The Interoperability Engine Behind Web3
At the heart of blockchain interoperability, LayerZero allows isolated chains to speak—using seamless, secure messaging across ecosystems.
Today, the protocol:
- Spans 125 blockchains
- Has carried over 145 million messages
- Enabled value movement exceeding $75 billion.
From powering the PayPal stablecoin to enabling next-gen DeFi with Ethena and Pendle, LayerZero has quietly become the connective tissue of modern crypto infrastructure. Its selection as the official partner for Wyoming’s state-issued stablecoin only deepens its institutional footprint.
With fresh capital in hand, the company aims to go further—extending its reach from seamless chain-to-chain communication to token deployment, data orchestration, and next-gen database innovation.
Check this out: a16z crypto Predicts Blockchain Trends for 2025
LayerZero Navigates an Intensifying Cross-Chain Landscape
As demand for blockchain interoperability surges, the market is filling with contenders. LayerZero faces stiff competition from:
- Wormhole ($225 million raised, $2.5 billion valuation)
- Stargate
- Connext
- Superbridge
- Chainlink.
These projects are racing to define how blockchains connect—each with its own unique solution.
In June 2024, LayerZero introduced its own token—ZRO—marking a major milestone for the cross-chain protocol. Just months later, in January 2025, the company settled with the FTX bankruptcy estate amid claims it had taken advantage of the exchange’s liquidity crisis.
Read on: Marc Andreessen — Visionary Behind Silicon Valley’s Iconic Firm
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