Mapping out Polkadot's ecosystem

Polkadot is one of the more anticipated Proof-of-Stake networks and smart contract challengers to Ethereum. The network was founded by Gavin Wood, a co-founder of Ethereum, Robert Habermeier, a former Thiel Fellow, and Peter Czaban, the technology director of the Web3 Foundation.

The core team behind the development of Polkadot includes the research & development group Parity Technologies and The Web3 Foundation, a Swiss non-profit. In October 2017, The Web3 Foundation raised $145 million via a token sale to develop Polkadot. Two additional token sales were conducted in 2019 and 2020.