Startup profile · funding coverage
NEAR funding, valuation and investors
Layer-1 blockchain for scalable dApps with sharded proof-of-stake.
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Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Series A
$12.1M · July 2019
Latest known valuation
Not publicly disclosed
Total disclosed equity funding
$12M
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
private
growth · San Francisco, CA
Investors in latest funding
Other: Multicoin Capital , Blockchange Ventures
Latest tracked event: Token sale (May 2020). It is shown separately because it is not counted as disclosed equity funding.
Overview
NEAR Protocol is a proof-of-stake layer-1 blockchain designed for developer-friendly decentralized applications, using Nightshade sharding for scalability. a16z led a $21.6M token sale in May 2020 at mainnet launch. Earlier rounds included Multicoin Capital and Blockchange Ventures.
Why NEAR is interesting
Ethereum-alternative L1 with Nightshade sharding — a16z led $21.6M token sale at 2020 mainnet launch; Multicoin and Blockchange were early backers.
Product & use cases
NEAR offers a sharded L1 with human-readable account names, Rust and JavaScript smart contracts, and sub-second finality — positioned as developer-accessible alternative to Ethereum.
- DeFi and NFT dApps on NEAR L1
- Cross-chain applications via NEAR bridges
- Developer-friendly smart contract deployment
Key facts
- Token sale (May 2020): $21.6M led by a16z at mainnet — BusinessWire
- Prior round (Jul 2019): $12.1M with Multicoin, Blockchange — CoinDesk
- Nightshade sharding architecture
Funding history (newest first)
Token sale
2020-05 $21.6MSource: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200520202000000/en/
Series A
2019-07 $12.1MSource: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2019/07/12/near-protocol-raises-12m
Investors in our directory
Funds linked from NEAR's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: Nightshade sharding plus JavaScript SDK lowers developer onboarding vs. Solidity-only chains.
L1 competition intensified post-2020. NEAR maintains developer community and Aurora EVM compatibility but trails Ethereum, Solana, and L2s in TVL and activity. a16z early backing provided credibility at launch.
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Ethereum incumbent
Dominant smart contract L1.
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Solana direct
High-throughput L1 competitor.
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Avalanche direct
Multi-chain L1 platform.
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Polygon adjacent
Ethereum L2/scaling rather than new L1.
Notable stories
- NEAR launched mainnet in April 2020 with a16z-led token sale — timing positioned it among the 2020-2021 L1 wave alongside Solana and Avalanche.
Industries
FAQs about NEAR
Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.
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