Solana Co-Founder Supports $8 Million Initiative to Address Network Congestion Through Validator Collaboration

BULK, a decentralized exchange for perpetual contracts built on Solana, has raised $8 million in seed funding, as revealed in a September 2025 statement. The round was led by 6th Man Ventures and Robot Ventures, with participation from Big Brain Holdings, Wintermute, and

co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko. The capital will be used to help BULK embed an execution layer directly within Solana’s validator stack, aiming to tackle issues like spikes in priority fees and network congestion. BULK expects to debut its testnet in the next few weeks, with a mainnet launch planned for the fourth quarter of 2025 Odaily Planet Daily, [ 1 ].

BULK’s approach is designed to address inefficiencies in the Solana ecosystem by streamlining transaction processing. By integrating its execution layer into the validator infrastructure, the DEX aims to lower latency and boost throughput for perpetual contract trades. This strategy is in line with the broader momentum in decentralized finance (DeFi), where Solana’s fast and cost-effective network is drawing increased attention to on-chain derivatives. By prioritizing scalability, BULK is positioning itself to rival other Solana-based perpetual DEXs such as Drift Protocol and Zeta Markets, which have reported total trading volumes of over $1.45 billion and $3.78 billion, respectively GooseFX, [ 3 ].

The successful seed round signals strong investor belief in Solana’s DeFi ecosystem. Anatoly Yakovenko’s involvement further demonstrates the blockchain’s alignment with major institutional and strategic supporters. Both 6th Man Ventures and Robot Ventures have a track record of backing early-stage Solana projects, particularly those focused on infrastructure and development tools. This funding comes amid a broader influx of investment into Solana-based platforms, with the blockchain securing $374 million across six funding rounds since 2018, including a $314 million Series C led by Andreessen Horowitz in 2021 Tracxn, [ 2 ].

BULK’s development schedule reflects the fast pace of the perpetual DEX sector. While rivals like

Perps DEX provide up to 100x leverage and utilize AMM-based trading, BULK’s Central Limit Order Book (CLOB) model focuses on precise order matching and deep liquidity. The upcoming testnet will be a key step in demonstrating the effectiveness of BULK’s execution layer under real-world trading conditions. If the platform proves successful, it could appeal to institutional liquidity providers and traders looking for decentralized alternatives to the centralized exchanges that currently dominate the $150 billion perpetuals market GooseFX, [ 3 ].

This funding round also underscores the ongoing rivalry between Solana and

in the race for DeFi leadership. While Ethereum’s Fusaka upgrade, set for December 2025, is expected to improve scalability through PeerDAS and Verkle Trees, Solana’s built-in optimizations and lower transaction costs continue to draw developers and users. BULK’s integration with Solana’s validator stack could further set the network apart in DeFi, especially for high-frequency trading and cross-chain applications.