Infinity Stones

Infinity Stones, legally known as INFSTONES Limited, operates as a Platform as a Service (PaaS) for blockchain infrastructure, positioning itself as an AWS-equivalent for the Web3 space. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Zhenwu Shi, the company's genesis traces back to his PhD research at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2013, where he first encountered Bitcoin. This early interest in decentralized technology evolved during his tenure as a senior software engineer at Oracle, leading him to identify a critical need for scalable infrastructure to support the growing number of decentralized applications (dApps). He launched InfStones to simplify Web3 development, node management, and staking.

The company's platform provides developers with the tools to build and manage applications across a multitude of blockchain networks. Its core services include one-click deployment of blockchain nodes, staking services for Proof of Stake (PoS) tokens, and a robust API for seamless integration. This enables clients, which range from individual developers to major industry players like Binance, Circle, and Polygon, to launch and scale Web3 applications, including NFT projects, decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, and games. The business model centers on providing these infrastructure services, with revenue generated since its inception. InfStones supports over 80 blockchain protocols, offering multi-cloud deployment options to ensure reliability and decentralization.

Despite facing an early setback during the 2018 "crypto winter," which saw two initial co-founders depart, Dr. Shi persevered. He was joined by Sili Zhao, who became the Global Director of Business. Together, they bootstrapped the company, landing significant clients by the end of 2020. The company has since achieved unicorn status and secured substantial funding, with a total of $156 million raised over five rounds. Major funding events include a $33 million Series B round in early 2022 and a $66 million Series C round later that year, led by prominent investors such as SoftBank Vision Fund 2, GGV Capital, and Susquehanna International Group (SIG).

Keywords: blockchain infrastructure, Web3 development, Platform as a Service (PaaS), node management, Proof of Stake (PoS), staking services, API for developers, decentralized applications (dApps), DeFi infrastructure, NFT projects, GameFi, cross-chain development, Zhenwu Shi, institutional crypto services, validator nodes, blockchain as a service, crypto infrastructure, decentralized cloud, multi-cloud deployment, Web3 environment, blockchain scalability, node deployment, blockchain data access