<p>zkLink, a cross-chain decentralized exchange that utilizes zero-knowledge rollups (zk-rollups) technology, has raised $8.5 million in a seed funding round.</p> <p>Republic Crypto led the round, with Arrington Capital, DeFi Alliance, Huobi Ventures, Ascensive Assets, Morningstar Ventures, GSR, and Marshland Capital also participating.</p> <p>With fresh capital at hand, zkLink plans to expand its team, launch its mainnet later this year, and support additional features on the platform.</p> <p>zkLink is currently available in testnet and offers a cross-chain token swap facility across Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, and Huobi Eco Chain. It plans to add support for more blockchains and also offer cross-chain farming and staking facility. That will allow users to provide liquidity on the platform and earn yields.</p> <p>zkLink raised the seed funding via a Simple Agreement for Future Tokens (SAFT), co-founder Vincent Yang told The Block. The project plans to raise more funds after the mainnet launch via a public token sale, he said.</p> <p>Cross-chain and interoperability protocols are gaining attention from the venture capital space. In recent months, such projects, including <a href="https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/111150/ethereum-based-interoperability-network-connext-raises-12-million-funding">Connext</a> and <a href="https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/119531/thorchain-based-dex-thorswap-funding-token-sale">ThorSwap</a>, have raised funds.</p> <p>“As the DeFi space continues to grow, improving the user experience and enabling interoperability for asset trades is a must,” said Qiao Wang, partner at DeFi Alliance. “zkLink is well-positioned to tackle these problems head-on and create a more easily accessible and efficient DeFi ecosystem for all."</p>