Kava

Overview Kava is a Layer-1 blockchain that combines the speed, interoperability and low transaction fees of Cosmos with the developer power of Ethereum. The Ethereum Co-Chain enables support for EVM smart contracts while the Cosmos Co-Chain enables the Tendermint consensus engine and the Inter Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC). The Tendermint Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism offers Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT), instant finality, and security. The two co-chains are connected by a translator module that enables them to interoperate seamlessly, bringing the two most used blockchain development environments together into a single, scalable network. The Kava Network features a native governance and utility token, KAVA, that can be staked by validators or delegated to validator nodes.

What is Kava Labs? Kava Labs is the primary contributing team to the Kava Network. The company’s mission is to establish the Kava Network as a top-five Layer-1 blockchain by empowering and incentivizing the developers that will help grow the Layer-1 ecosystem. Kava Labs was co-founded by Brian Kerr, Ruaridh O'Donnell, and Scott Stuart. The current CEO of Kava Labs is Scott Stuart, a former professional poker player and serial entrepreneur. Scott served as the Head of Product for Kava Labs from 2017 to 2021, when he took over as CEO from Brian Kerr. Brian Kerr previously worked as an advisor for several digital asset-focused companies, including Snowball and DMarket. Ruaridh O'Donnell is an MSc Physics graduate and former engineer and data analyst at Levelworks. Kava Labs has approximately 40 full-time employees distributed across North America, Asia, and Europe.

How does Kava attract developers? The Kava Network empowers developers with: Flexible Deployment: Developers can build and deploy on either of the two most used permissionless execution environments in the world using the EVM-compatible Ethereum Co-Chain or the Cosmos Co-Chain. On-Chain Incentives: A transparent and decentralized on-chain incentive model ensures that the best developers and projects in every Web3 vertical (including DeFi, GameFi, and NFTs) are rewarded for their contributions with a proportional share of the value and governance of the network. Seamless Interoperability: Developers can deploy Solidity smart contracts that interoperate seamlessly with Cosmos SDK protocols in the same network, connecting their project to every major asset and millions of users.