On June 13, the Manta Foundation, which supports the Manta Network family of zero-knowledge-cryptography-focused blockchains, announced the launch of a $50 million EcoFund and Ecosystem Grant Program. This initiative aims to support early-stage blockchain projects globally and target areas like AI, ZK, and DePINs to drive growth and technological advancements in these key sectors and beyond. The foundation is dedicated to nurturing emerging projects to keep Manta at the forefront of dApps development.
In other news, Movement Labs introduced the “Battle of Olympus” hackathon to promote the growth and adoption of Movement, the first modular network of Move-based blockchains. The hackathon, running from July 17 to Sept. 17, is part of Movement Labs’ Road to Parthenon initiative to create a thriving ecosystem on its mainnet. Participants can earn points and rewards as they progress through the gamified structure.
Minima, known as the only blockchain lightweight enough to run entirely on mobile and device chips, is collaborating with Influx Technology to integrate a data tracker into a McLaren GT4. This data tracker collects information on various parameters in real-time, such as vehicle ignition timing, braking, oil pressure, and more. The innovative blockchain design of Minima secures the data’s history and integrity, allowing any IoT device to operate a full node and collect data for validation on the blockchain.
Polygon Labs recently completed the spinout of its ID solution as “Privado ID,” which offers a protocol-agnostic design for expansion beyond the Polygon networks. Privado ID is establishing partnerships with multinational banking and financial service companies to create interoperable and compliant identity frameworks using verifiable credentials.
Additionally, the Graph Foundation’s “Sunrise” initiative decentralizes Web3’s data layer by eliminating the centralized hosted service, marking a milestone in the protocol’s maturity. Subgraph developers can seamlessly upgrade to The Graph’s decentralized network, as hosted service endpoints are no longer available after June 12.
Livepeer AI has launched a three-month grants program for generative video innovation, offering hands-on development support and grants for projects integrating generative AI. The program aims to help projects scale by providing infrastructure budgets for AI processing, which can be a significant expense.
Overall, these initiatives and collaborations in the blockchain space are driving innovation and growth in various sectors, from early-stage projects to established networks. Stay tuned for more updates on the evolving landscape of blockchain technology.