Latest updates on the Starknet ecosystem

 

Key Points

• StarkWare launched a $4 million fund for African blockchain startups in February 2025.
• Paradex, a trading platform on Starknet, recently listed new tokens and has active users.
• SN Stack is now available for developers to build custom chains using Starknet’s technology.
• The 2025 ecosystem report highlights Starknet’s growth and trends.
• Malachite enhances Starknet’s decentralized sequencing, with recent developments noted.
• Starknet achieved a record 11 million transactions in a gaming surge in October 2024.
• Starknet began its staking initiative on mainnet in November 2024.

Recent Developments

Funding for African Startups
StarkWare, valued at $8 billion, announced a $4 million fund on February 6, 2025, to support early-stage blockchain startups in Africa. This initiative focuses on projects using Starknet, aiming to boost crypto adoption and financial inclusion, particularly in regions with economic challenges like high inflation.

Paradex’s Activity
Paradex, Starknet’s first appchain for trading, has been active in February 2025, listing new tokens like $KAITO and engaging its community, with over 2,500 active users in recent reports. This shows ongoing growth in Starknet’s DeFi ecosystem.

SN Stack Launch
In January 2025, Starknet made the SN Stack publicly available, allowing developers to create custom chains with zero-knowledge technology. This offers flexibility in block times, sizes, and branding, enhancing scalability and security.

Ecosystem Report 2025
Early in 2025, Starknet released its State of the Ecosystem report, detailing growth from 72 projects in November 2023 to 193 by November 2024, reflecting significant community and project expansion.

Malachite for Decentralization
Malachite, a decentralized sequencer using Rust-based Tendermint, was discussed in July 2024 and mentioned in February 2025 X posts, indicating ongoing development for improved network decentralization and interoperability.

Gaming and Transaction Milestone
In October 2024, Starknet processed 11 million transactions in a day during a gaming stress test, averaging 127 TPS, showcasing its high-throughput capabilities for mass adoption.

Staking Initiative
Starknet launched phase 1 of its staking initiative on mainnet in November 2024, becoming the first major L2 to implement staking, a step towards full proof-of-stake decentralization.

---

Comprehensive Analysis of Starknet Ecosystem Updates

The Starknet ecosystem, a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum using zero-knowledge rollups, has seen several significant developments recently, particularly as of February 21, 2025. This analysis covers funding initiatives, platform activities, technological advancements, and community growth, providing a detailed overview for stakeholders and enthusiasts.

Funding and Expansion Initiatives

A notable update is StarkWare’s launch of a $4 million fund on February 6, 2025, targeting African blockchain startups (StarkWare $4M Fund for Africa). Led by Kheireddine Kamal, this fund offers grants up to $150,000 for pre-seed and seed-stage projects, with potential investments up to $500,000, focusing on West, South, and East Africa. The initiative aims to leverage Starknet’s technology to address local economic challenges like high inflation and low financial inclusion, fostering crypto adoption.

Platform Activity: Paradex’s Recent Engagements

Paradex, Starknet’s first appchain launched in July 2023, has shown robust activity in February 2025, as evidenced by X posts from

@tradeparadex

. On February 20, 2025, Paradex listed $KAITO for trading (Paradex X Post), and reported 2,509 active users in the last 24 hours on February 18, 2025 (Paradex X Post). These activities highlight Paradex’s role as a high-performance derivatives exchange, bridging centralized and decentralized finance, and contributing to Starknet’s DeFi ecosystem growth.

Technological Advancements: SN Stack Availability

On January 8, 2025, Starknet introduced the SN Stack, a modular toolkit for developers to build custom chains (SN Stack Announcement). Available in three flavors—StarkWare Sequencer, Madara (open-source), and Dojo (gaming-optimized)—it leverages zero-knowledge STARK cryptography, offering scalability, security, and quantum resistance. This launch, supported by partners like AltLayer, enhances Starknet’s appeal for appchain development, with a reported 12x capacity increase in a year and fees dropping to under $0.001 (AltLayer SN Stack).

Ecosystem Growth: 2025 State Report

The State of the Starknet Ecosystem 2025 report, likely published early in 2025, provides a comprehensive overview (Ecosystem Report 2025). It highlights growth from 72 projects in November 2023 to 193 by November 2024, with references to X posts (November 2023 Growth, November 2024 Growth). This report underscores Starknet’s expanding developer community and its position as the sixth-largest Ethereum L2 by total value locked ($233 million).

Decentralization Efforts: Malachite and Sequencing

Malachite, Starknet’s decentralized sequencer implementation using Rust-based Tendermint, was discussed in July 2024 collaborations with Informal Systems (Malachite Partnership). Recent X posts from

@Starknet_OG

on February 20, 2025, mentioned Malachite, indicating ongoing development (Malachite X Post). This feature aims for production-grade decentralization, fault tolerance, and censorship resistance, enhancing network interoperability.

Performance Milestones: Gaming Surge

In October 2024, Starknet achieved a transaction milestone during a gaming stress test, processing 11 million transactions in a day, with a peak of 291.2 TPS and an average of 127 TPS over 24 hours (Transaction Milestone). This was facilitated by the 13.2 upgrade introducing parallel execution, tested via Cartridge’s Flippy Flop game, demonstrating Starknet’s readiness for mass adoption.

Staking Progress: Phase 1 on Mainnet

Starknet launched phase 1 of its staking initiative on mainnet in November 2024, becoming the first major L2 to implement staking directly on L2 (Staking Phase 1). This phase, starting November 26, 2024, allows permissionless staking and delegation, with professional validators like Luganodes participating, marking a step towards full proof-of-stake decentralization.

Comparative Analysis and Future Implications

The updates reflect Starknet’s strategic focus on scalability, decentralization, and global expansion. The African fund and Paradex’s activity indicate growing international and community engagement, while SN Stack and Malachite enhance technological capabilities. The ecosystem report and staking initiative underscore governance and community involvement, positioning Starknet for sustained growth in 2025.

Update Category	Details	Date
Funding	$4M fund for African startups, grants up to $150,000	Feb 6, 2025
Platform Activity	Paradex lists $KAITO, 2,509 active users in 24h	Feb 2025
Technological Launch	SN Stack available for custom chain building, three flavors	Jan 8, 2025
Ecosystem Report	Growth from 72 to 193 projects, comprehensive 2025 overview	Early 2025
Decentralization	Malachite for decentralized sequencing, ongoing development	Jul 2024, Feb 2025 X posts
Performance Milestone	11M transactions in gaming surge, 127 TPS average	Oct 2024
Staking Initiative	Phase 1 staking on mainnet, first L2 to implement	Nov 2024

This table summarizes key updates, highlighting their timing and impact on Starknet’s ecosystem.

Conclusion

Starknet’s recent developments in February 2025, including the African fund and Paradex’s activity, alongside January’s SN Stack launch, position it as a leader in Ethereum L2 scaling. The ecosystem report and ongoing technological advancements like Malachite and staking initiatives ensure a robust foundation for future growth, catering to developers, users, and global markets.

Key Citations:

• StarkWare launches $4 million fund to invest in African blockchain startups
• Paradex X posts detailing recent activities
• SN Stack is now publicly available announcement
• State of the Starknet Ecosystem 2025 report
• Starknet and Informal Systems partnership on Malachite
• Starknet hits transaction milestone in gaming surge
• Starknet launches phase 1 of staking initiative on mainnet