Blockchain

Pi Squared Raises $12.5 Million in Seed Funding Led by Polychain Capital to Build a Universal ZK Circuit Powered by Proof of Proof

Champaign, Illinois, United States, July 2nd, 2024, Chainwire

 

Pi Squared, (Proof of Proof), announced the closure of their first capital raise. Led by Polychain Capital, the syndicate includes ABCDE, Bloccelerate, Generative Ventures, Robot Ventures, and Samsung Next. Angel investors include Shumo Chu, Harish Devarajan, Justin Drake, Sreeram Kanaan, Csongor Kiss, George Lambeth, Yilong Li, Calvin Liu, Lucian Mincu, Karthik Raju, and Common Prefix.

Using zero-knowledge (ZK) technology in a correct-by-construction and fundamentally unique way, Pi Squared will enable trustless remote computing, AI, and interoperable smart contracts for any blockchain or dApp. This will be made possible through the creation of a universal and disarmingly small ZK circuit that checks the integrity of mathematical proofs, which will provide verifiable-computing correctness guarantees to all languages and virtual machines (VMs) alike directly from their formal semantics, without any translation to a common language, VM, or instruction set architecture (ISA).

“Our mission is to revolutionize verifiable computing, making it universal for all languages and virtual machines, inherently correct-by-construction, and lightning-fast,” says Grigore Roșu, CEO of Pi Squared and CS Professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “This will have many applications, including a universal settlement layer (USL) so all Blockchains, L1s and L2s, can be universal, correct, inter-operable and efficient. It does not end there, our long-term mission is to settle all science and knowledge on USL.”

“Pi Squared’s proof of proof technology will have a transformative impact across Web3 and beyond,” said Karthik Raju, GP at Polychain Capital. “Pi Squared’s universal ZK circuit will significantly increase the reach and applicability of Web3 for everyone, from builders to end users.”

Pi Squared will enable the next generation of verifiable computing that is universal and scalable with an optimally minimal trust base. The first product powered by Pi Squared is the Universal Settlement Layer (USL), an architecture for modular blockchains that enables the following characteristics:

Universality

Computations can be expressed in any high-level or virtual machine language, without the need for compilers or translators.

Provable correctness

Computations verified by the USL are mathematically proven to be correct, and any external entity can independently verify the correctness of the state of the USL.

Trust Base Minimality

USL exposes any trust assumptions in upper-layer computations for increased transparency, end-user awareness, and will minimize the trust base through correctness proofs.

App Interoperability

The USL will support interoperability between different application modules and networks (e.g. appchains).

Determinism and reproducibility

The validation is reproducible and independently verifiable by any external entity.

Pi Squared’s USL therefore provides end-to-end correctness guarantees for generic computations while minimizing the trust base underlying these computations. USL promotes verifiable computing as the standard distributed computing paradigm without requiring or promoting particular domain-specific languages (DSLs), VMs, or execution environments, all while being efficient and scalable.

Pi Squared will be presenting and exhibiting at events around EthCC in Brussels from July 8th to 11th. Attendees can listen to Pi Squared’s CEO, Grigore Roșu, speak at Restaking & Infra Day on July 8th and L2con on July 9th.

About Pi Squared

Pi Squared means ZK proofs of mathematical proofs. Pi Squared uses ZK technology in a correct-by-construction and fundamentally unique way. A universal and disarmingly small ZK circuit provides verifiable-computing correctness guarantees to all languages and VMs alike, without any translation to a common language, VM, or ISA. Pi Squared is led by UIUC professor Grigore Rosu, founder of the K framework and of Runtime Verification, and consists of researchers and founders of successful projects in formal methods, blockchain, and AI/ML.

To book a meeting with Pi Squared’s CEO and team, attendees can reach out to [email protected].

To learn more about Pi Squared’s vision and Proof of Proof, visit pi2.network and follow Pi Squared on social media.

 

Contact

Head of Marketing
Chris Hazelton
Pi Squared Inc
[email protected]

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Mstack Chemicals secures $40M to disrupt global speciality chemical manufacturing across more countries

2024-10-03T15:00:00Z

Cross-border speciality chemical manufacturing platform, Mstack, plans global expansion in Middle East, LATAM and Asia

Houston, Texas, Oct. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The pandemic revealed two critical truths about manufacturing: supply chains are now global, and chemical suppliers are indispensable in supply chains across industries. With Europe’s chemical heavyweights operating at persistent losses and inflated costs, and the China+1 movement encouraging more businesses to expand into new markets, the shift towards diversifying chemical sources is accelerating. Capturing this moment, Mstack, a US-based custom manufacturing platform that helps global buyers source high-quality specialty chemicals, has raised $40M to double down on its mission to disrupt a historically flawed supply chain for specialty chemicals. 

The company’s $40M Series A round was co-led by Lightspeed and Alpha Wave and included a debt facility from HSBC Innovation Banking as well as an all star lineup of angel investors. MStack will deploy the freshly infused capital to expand its footprint across the Middle East, Latin America and Asia, while continuing to strengthen its presence in the United States and other geographies.

Bejul Somaia, Partner at Lightspeed, added: “Geopolitical dynamics pose risks for supply chain disruptions in the global specialty chemicals market. With demand for these chemicals growing rapidly, there is a need to increase R&D investments and unlock new pockets of supply. As the first institutional investor in Mstack, we believe that the company has tremendous potential to lead this transformation. The new round of funding will enable them to unlock the full potential of their tech-driven platform and undertake cutting-edge research, offering high quality products to customers across the world.”


Mstack founder: Shreyans Chopra 

Mstack was founded in 2022 by Shreyans Chopra, whose decision to launch a cross-border brand in specialty chemicals was inspired by the rapid growth in the global specialty chemicals market. Through its well-established network of approved specialty chemical capacities in low cost, high quality regions – like India, the Middle East, and Asia – Mstack offers mid-to-large scale enterprises a full-stack solution for sourcing specialty chemicals through a reliable supply chain that is secure against geopolitical disruptions. This allows the company to serve price-sensitive buyers across the world with preferential pricing, while maintaining a strong commitment to quality, reliability, and consistency. 

Notably, the company has codified its entire operation into a single platform, allowing buyers to source, test, ship, deliver, and track all of their specialty chemicals in one place. This meticulous control ensures Mstack is able to consistently meet its value proposition of reliable and timely delivery. The company currently offers products in four categories: oil and gas, coatings, water treatment, and home and personal care. With this round of funding, Mstack is making inroads into agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals, among other segments.  

Having already established a firm footing in the chemicals industry cross-border supply chain, the company is now intensifying its focus on expanding its talent base in the US, building a robust leadership team across categories, and doubling down on  research and development (R&D).

Shreyans Chopra, Founder at Mstack, commented: “This new funding affirms investor confidence in our vision and technology to transform global markets. It enables us to expand geographically and intensify our R&D efforts. We'll continue innovating to meet our customers' evolving needs. Our R&D team in India is poised to commercialize multiple chemicals soon. Future plans include establishing advanced labs to drive innovation and IP creation, while offering custom formulations and process innovation through our on-demand platform.”

Navroz D. Udwadia, Co-Founder and Partner at Alpha Wave Global, said:  “We are very excited to partner with Mstack as they play an important role in shaping the global chemical supply chain. This round enables Mstack to strengthen its R&D capabilities in co-creating new products with their vendors. We look forward to working with the team in delivering effective, cost efficient solutions to the customers, driving incremental ROI for them.”

For Mstack, the future looks bright. With its tech-driven approach, research labs, expansion plans, and fresh funding in its war chest, Mstack is on track to rewrite the rules of global specialty chemical manufacturing. 

Ends 

Notes to the editor
Media images can be found here.

About Mstack
Mstack is a custom manufacturing platform in the speciality chemical space. Mstack enables mid to large enterprise buyers across the globe, especially in North America to source chemicals from its tech-enabled network of capacities located in low-cost production countries. It functions as a full-stack platform that takes ownership of quality control and delivery. Mstack’s R&D capabilities enable customers to access custom-made formulations or get process innovation done which significantly improves the efficiency of chemicals used or reduces cost. 

About Lightspeed
Lightspeed is a global multi-stage venture capital firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in the Enterprise, Consumer, Health, and Fintech sectors. Over the past two decades, the Lightspeed team has backed hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped build more than 500 companies globally including Affirm, Acceldata, Carta, Cato Networks, Darwinbox Epic Games, Faire, Innovaccer, Guardant Health, Mulesoft, Navan, Netskope, Nutanix, Rubrik, Sharechat, Snap, OYO Ultima Genomics and more. Lightspeed and its global team currently manage $25B in AUM across the Lightspeed platform, with investment professionals and advisors in the U.S., Europe, India, Israel, and Southeast Asia.

About Alpha Wave Incubation
Alpha Wave Incubation (AWI) is an investment fund managed by Alpha Wave Global in partnership with Lunate. AWI’s mission is to invest in outstanding founders and management teams that have exceptional companies. AWI also offers access to comprehensive support for business-building, while also helping companies expand globally and open new markets in the GCC/MENA region and beyond.

Alpha Wave Global is a global investment company with three main verticals: private equity, private credit, and public markets. It is led by Rick Gerson, Navroz Udwadia, and Ryan Khoury.
Alpha Wave has offices in Miami, New York, London, Monaco, Madrid, Abu Dhabi, Tel Aviv, Bangalore, and Sydney. For more information, please visit www.alphawaveglobal.com.

About HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 60 countries and territories. With assets of US$2,975bn at 30 June 2024, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations.

HSBC Bank USA, National Association (HSBC Bank USA, N.A.) serves customers through Wealth and Personal Banking, Commercial Banking, Private Banking, Global Banking, and Markets and Securities Services. Deposit products are offered by HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Member FDIC. It operates Wealth Centers in: California; Washington, D.C.; Florida; New Jersey; New York; Virginia; and Washington. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is the principal subsidiary of HSBC USA Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC North America Holdings Inc. For more information, visit: HSBC in the USA

CONTACT:  For further information please contact the Mstack press office: Bilal Mahmood on [email protected] or +44 (0) 771 400 7257.

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