Celestia Labs buys Sovereign Labs to build custom blockchains, names new CTO
What's the deal? Celestia Labs, the core engineering team behind the modular Layer 1 blockchain Celestia, has acquired the technology and talent of Sovereign LabsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The deal brings six team members across, extending Celestia Labs' reach from Layer 1 through the execution and application layers. Terms were not disclosed.
Who is Sovereign Labs? Founded in 2021 by Cem OzerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Preston EvansDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, it has been part of the Celestia ecosystem since launch. Its Sovereign SDK is a framework for application-specific, high-performance blockchains.
The SDK powers Relay, the top bridge by volume with over $8.5B in transfers, and Bullet, a perpetuals exchange that clears orders in 1.2 milliseconds and processes over 30,000 transactions per second.
The key hire: Sovereign co-founder Preston Evans joins Celestia Labs as chief technology officer. "I'm excited to keep building on the legacy Celestia Labs has created, and push the boundaries of blockchain infrastructure engineering," he said.
Why now? Demand for custom blockchains is rising as general-purpose chains hit limits on scale and speed. Together, the combined teams have shipped more than 25 production blockchains.
What's the endgame? Celestia Labs wants to position itself as a full-stack partner for companies that need their own chains. "Internet-scale applications, from agentic payments solutions to global exchanges and prediction markets, require custom infrastructure that only a highly experienced implementation team can provide," said chief executive officer Nick WhiteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
The signal: The market is already moving this way. HyperliquidDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → built its own chain to cut latency, and Polymarket — which processed $6B in volume in H1 2025 — is migrating to a custom chain to ease congestion. Celestia Labs, which has raised over $155M from backers including Bain Capital CryptoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Coinbase Ventures, is betting that appetite grows.
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