Another blockchain infrastructure startup has emerged from stealth mode with a hefty war chest, as Subzero Labs announced it secured $20 million in seed funding to develop what it describes as a “Web2-style” decentralized network called Rialo. The August 2025 financing round was led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Variant, Coinbase Ventures, Hashed, Susquehanna Crypto, Mysten Labs, Fabric Ventures, Mirana Ventures, and Flowdesk—a collection of investors that reads like a who’s who of crypto venture capital.
The founding duo brings considerable pedigree to the table. Ade Adepoju and Lu Zhang previously worked at Mysten Labs, contributing to the Sui network, while Zhang’s resume includes stints on Meta’s ill-fated Diem crypto initiative and AI/ML infrastructure at both Meta and Google.
Adepoju’s background spans distributed systems at Netflix and microchip design at AMD. Their team draws talent from Meta, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, TikTok, Citadel, VMWare, Solana, Coinbase, and NEAR Protocol—essentially a greatest hits compilation of tech and crypto engineering.
Rialo aims to tackle what Subzero Labs characterizes as blockchain’s complexity crisis and developer retention problem. The platform positions itself as bridging Web2’s ease of use with Web3’s decentralized applications, emphasizing speed, scalability, and developer-friendly tools. Like other projects pursuing Layer-2 solutions, Rialo seeks to provide faster transaction processing without the full overhead of traditional blockchain architectures.
Rialo promises to merge Web2 simplicity with Web3 decentralization, targeting blockchain’s notorious usability and developer experience hurdles.
Rather than chasing speculative use cases (a rejuvenating departure), the company focuses on real-world applications and internet-scale decentralized infrastructure. The platform features event-driven transactions that automatically trigger based on external events, eliminating common blockchain development hurdles.
The technical approach involves rebuilding network architecture from first principles, leveraging the founders’ deep expertise in layer-1 protocols and distributed systems. This strategy combines Web2 engineering best practices with decentralized infrastructure goals—essentially attempting to have one’s cake and eat it too in the blockchain space. The platform’s unique architecture enables direct access to external data like FICO scores without requiring third-party providers.
With backing from leading crypto investors and strategic ecosystem players, Subzero Labs enters a crowded but lucrative market where blockchain infrastructure solutions command premium valuations.
Whether Rialo can deliver on its ambitious promise of solving blockchain’s usability challenges while maintaining decentralization remains to be seen, but the substantial funding provides ample runway to find out.
