- Union, the modular interoperability layer, has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Gumi Cryptos Capital and Longhash Ventures.
- Union uses zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to eliminate reliance on centralized intermediaries, enabling secure, trustless, and sovereign cross-chain interoperability.
- Union’s Ethereum-to-IBC bridge facilitates liquidity and user flow between Cosmos and other ecosystems, with integrations including Polygon, Arbitrum, and Movement Labs.
- It is also addressing Bitcoin’s limitations to enhance DeFi applications.
Union, a cross-chain settlement layer leveraging zero-knowledge (ZK) technology, has raised $12 million in Series A funding to advance its mission of seamless and secure interoperability across Web3 ecosystems.
The Series A funding round, co-led by Gumi Cryptos Capital and Longhash Ventures, brings Union’s total funding to $16 million.
The funding round also included participation from Borderless Capital and other venture capital firms, along with backing from prominent Web3 founders, including those from Polygon, Movement, and Berachain.
The latest investment comes less than a year after Union’s $4 million seed round led by Galileo fund by Anagram.
Breaking Down Blockchain Silos
Union aims to tackle one of Web3’s most pressing challenges: secure and trustless cross-chain interoperability. With a focus on eliminating reliance on centralized intermediaries like Multi-Signatures (Multi-Sigs) and Multi-Party Computations (MPCs), Union leverages modular ZK proof technology to create an infrastructure that prioritizes user sovereignty and security.
“Our goal is to reduce fragmentation and bring secure, sovereign, and seamless interoperability to Web3,” said Karel Kubat, Founder of Union.
He emphasized that the latest raise underscores the team’s commitment to advancing the multichain vision.
Union’s approach goes beyond technical innovation, positioning itself as a foundational layer for Web3 projects. By allowing users to generate their own proofs, Union enables greater decentralization and faster transaction speeds, paving the way for a more integrated multichain ecosystem.
Investor Confidence in a Multichain Future
For investors, Union’s vision resonates with the growing need for robust interoperability solutions as Web3 ecosystems proliferate.
“Union’s deep technical expertise and pragmatic approach make them uniquely suited to address the challenges of fragmentation and chaotic user experiences in blockchain,” said Miko Matsumura, Managing Partner at Gumi Cryptos Capital. “They’re solving an exceedingly hard problem with world-changing potential.”
Emma Cui, Managing Partner at Longhash Ventures, highlighted Union’s role in the multichain future, noting its contributions to composability and abstraction.
“By leveraging ZK proofs and light clients for consensus verification, Union provides a secure and efficient foundation for general message passing, asset transfers, and rollup settlement,” she said.
Expanding Integration Across Ecosystems
Union’s technology is already making an impact, with integrations spanning leading blockchain ecosystems, including Ethereum, Cosmos, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Movement Labs. Its flagship product, the Ethereum-to-IBC bridge, facilitates liquidity and user flow between Cosmos and other ecosystems.
Union is also making strides in the Bitcoin ecosystem, addressing limitations in Bitcoin’s scripting capabilities to enable secure asset transfers across Bitcoin Layer 2s. This effort could enhance Bitcoin’s role in decentralized finance (DeFi), an area traditionally dominated by Ethereum.
The project’s partnership with NFT platform Stargaze further underscores its versatility, enabling cross-chain NFT transactions and expanding Union’s reach into creative and gaming sectors.
Open-Source and Community Engagement
Union has been actively engaging the Web3 community through initiatives such as its ZK trusted ceremony and open-sourcing its codebase. These moves reflect its commitment to fostering transparency and collaboration in the blockchain space.
As modular tech stacks and multichain visions gain traction, Union is well-positioned to address the challenges of interoperability, offering a secure and decentralized alternative to legacy solutions. The Series A funding marks a significant step forward in Union’s journey to redefine how assets, messages, and data flow across blockchains.
“Union, like its connections, is unstoppable,” Kubat remarked, signaling the project’s ambition to become a cornerstone of the Web3 ecosystem.
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