Bankless
Ethlabs: The New Org to Make Ethereum Win | Ansgar & Caspar
- Ethlabs is a new nonprofit R&D organization launched to advance Ethereum and ETH, complementing the Ethereum Foundation's narrowed focus on core properties (censorship resistance, open source, privacy, security).
- The Ethereum Foundation has explicitly downsized its mandate and headcount; Ethlabs fills gaps in scaling, interoperability, and growth work that the EF no longer prioritizes.
- Ethlabs operates with a "startup mentality" despite nonprofit status—lean (~5 founding members, world-class talent density), responsive to market forces, and explicitly pro-markets, pro-growth, pro-ETH value accrual.
- Core workstreams include chain (protocol scaling to 3x per year, time to finality), platform (interoperability between L1 and L2s to create unified superpowers), and growth (aligning protocol development with DeFi builder needs).
- Ethlabs frames Ethereum's role as the single credible-neutral hub of global finance within 10 years; success requires a vastly more valuable ETH asset and seamless cross-chain composability without bridge risk.
- Founding team includes Ansgar Dietrichs (scaling), Caspar Schwarz-Schilling, and recognized Ethereum researchers; funded by Bitmine, Sharplink, Joe Lubin, and 50+ ecosystem contributors with 2–3 years runway.