Suzaku Paves Secure, Decentralized Path for Avalanche L1s

Suzaku, a re-staking protocol designed to enhance the security and decentralization of Layer 1 (L1) blockchains on the Avalanche ecosystem, has successfully secured $1.5 million in funding across seed rounds, public sales, and grants from the Avalanche Foundation. This marks a significant milestone in the protocol’s development and further solidifies Avalanche’s role as a platform for decentralized infrastructure. The funding was supported by a mix of long-term ecosystem players and angel investors, including Blizzard Fund (Avalanche Ecosystem Fund), Yield Yak, Tegridy Capital, and 50 Partners, as well as angel investors from prominent projects such as BENQI, SwissBorg, and Chorus One.

Suzaku’s primary mission is to provide a structured pathway for Avalanche L1s to transition from centralized validation to a fully permissionless and decentralized network without compromising security. The protocol addresses a critical infrastructure gap by offering a unified framework for builders that includes reference network architectures, an L1 development stack, and battle-tested security modules. Its focus is on solving one of blockchain’s most pressing challenges: enabling emerging L1s to scale and decentralize securely. Suzaku’s solution is particularly timely, as ACP-77 has recently enabled L1s to run validators without staking 2,000 AVAX—a requirement for the Avalanche primary network.

The protocol’s development has been significantly influenced by its participation in Codebase Season 1, an accelerator program provided by the Avalanche Foundation. Over the course of 10 weeks, Suzaku’s co-founders, Léo Paul and Gauthier Leonard, refined their technical strategy and product vision with the support of engineering mentors from Ava Labs. The program also provided the team with $50,000 in non-dilutive funding, allowing them to focus on product development without equity trade-offs. The Codebase experience was instrumental in shaping Suzaku’s strategic positioning within the Avalanche ecosystem and in forging key partnerships.

Suzaku’s role in Avalanche’s evolution is further underscored by its participation in the Avalanche9000 incentivized testnet, where it played a critical role in helping new L1s establish robust security models from the outset. The protocol is also a co-author of ACP-99, a shared standard for validator set management on Avalanche. Suzaku’s marketplace approach to validator infrastructure connects stakers, operators, and L1 networks, enabling a more decentralized and secure ecosystem. The team has already achieved notable traction, including a TVL all-time high of $9 million and integrations with Dexalot and PLYR as early L1 customers.

The $1.5 million raise is expected to accelerate Suzaku’s development and expand its impact within the Avalanche ecosystem. With Avalanche9000 removing traditional barriers to L1 validation, Suzaku is well-positioned to support the next wave of L1 adoption by providing a clear path to decentralization without the trade-offs typically seen in security and scalability. The protocol’s success also highlights the effectiveness of the Codebase accelerator program in nurturing high-potential projects and reinforcing Avalanche’s commitment to supporting innovation and infrastructure development.

Source: