DoubleZero Co-founder Austin Federa Engages Solana Builders at Seoul Startup Village Finale as 5.25% of Solana's Mainnet Stake Operates on DoubleZero

Seoul, South Korea – Austin Federa, co-founder of the high-performance network DoubleZero and former Head of Strategy at the Solana Foundation, is engaging participants at the Solana Startup Village in Seoul today, September 20, 2025. His presence marks the culmination of the week-long intensive program designed to foster innovation within the Solana ecosystem in South Korea, running from September 14-20. Federa announced his visit via social media, stating, > "Find us at the @solana Startup Village in Seoul 3-5pm today 🇰🇷"

The Startup Village Seoul serves as a crucial preparatory ground for promising builders and developers aiming to succeed in the upcoming Solana global hackathon, "Colosseum," later this fall. Organized with support from entities like Superteam Korea, the program offers mentorship, hackathon preparation, and networking opportunities with investors and industry experts. It is strategically timed as a pre-event to Korea Blockchain Week (KBW), drawing global talent to the region.

Federa's participation highlights the growing synergy between Solana's ecosystem development and DoubleZero's mission to enhance blockchain infrastructure. DoubleZero, which Federa co-founded after departing the Solana Foundation in December 2024, aims to provide a faster, dedicated internet layer for high-performance blockchains. A significant 5.25% of Solana's mainnet stake, equivalent to 21.4 million SOL across 75 validators, is currently operating on DoubleZero's testnet, signaling increasing trust in its technology.

DoubleZero's mainnet and token launch are also anticipated in September 2025, making Federa's appearance particularly timely. The company's vision is to amass a global network of private fiber optic cables to enable blockchains to transmit data more efficiently than on the public internet, with a motto of "Increase Bandwidth, Reduce Latency" (IBRL). This infrastructure is seen as enabling Solana's ambitious goal of processing one million transactions per second.

This engagement underscores Solana's continued focus on expanding its global footprint, particularly in key markets like South Korea. The region has seen significant investment and community building efforts, including a $100 million fund established by Solana Ventures and the Solana Foundation for Korean Web3 startups. Such initiatives aim to cultivate local talent and integrate them into the broader decentralized web.

The collaboration between ecosystem leaders like Federa and local developer communities is vital for advancing blockchain technology. By connecting directly with builders, Federa is fostering the adoption of cutting-edge infrastructure solutions like DoubleZero, which are designed to support the scalability and performance demands of the next generation of Solana applications.