a16z leads $100 million raise for web3 privacy firm Aztec Network

Quick Take

  • Aztec Network, a firm that aims to encrypt the Ethereum blockchain, raised $100 million in Series B funding led by a16z.
  • The firm will use the funds to build out its encryption architecture and double its team of 40 people. 

The privacy-focused web3 firm Aztec Network raised $100 million in Series B funding led by the web3 investment firm a16z. 

Aztec aims to fully encrypt the Ethereum blockchain to add more privacy and reduce computational redundancy. The firm will use the fresh raise to develop encrypted architecture that lets individuals properly use blockchains without exposing identifying information. In addition, Aztec intends to double its current team of 40 people, the co-founders told TechCrunch.

"What we’re building is a revolutionary piece of technology that transforms how we interact with each other online, in which the end user is the customer, rather than the product," Aztec Network CEO Zac Williamson said in a statement. "End-to-end encrypted blockchains protect individuals, obviating the need for centralized financial systems." 

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Additional participants in the round include A Capital, King River, Variant, SV Angel, Hash Key, Fenbushi and AVG, according to a company blog post.

Aztec Network was originally founded in 2017 by Zac Williamson and Joe Andrews. 


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About Author

MK Manoylov has been a reporter for The Block since 2020 — joining just before bitcoin surpassed $20,000 for the first time. Since then, MK has written nearly 1,000 articles for the publication, covering any and all crypto news but with a penchant toward NFT, metaverse, web3 gaming, funding, crime, hack and crypto ecosystem stories. MK holds a graduate degree from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) and has also covered health topics for WebMD and Insider. You can follow MK on X @MManoylov and on LinkedIn.

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