Jito Foundation has raised $50 million from a16z crypto in a strategic token sale, marking one of the largest investments in the Solana ecosystem this year.
The funding will support the Foundation’s goal of expanding Jito Network technology and advancing its community-driven mission to make Solana more efficient, scalable, and valuable for participants across the decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape.
Jito operates two key pillars of Solana’s infrastructure. The first is software that helps process and organize transactions more efficiently, improving the network’s speed and performance.
The second is JitoSOL, a system that lets users stake their Solana tokens to earn rewards – like interest – while receiving a token in return that they can still use or trade. In other words, their original Solana stays locked for staking, but they get a tradable version of it that keeps their funds liquid. JitoSOL now represents more than $3.2 billion worth of assets.
The company said the new funding will help it continue building open-source tools, strengthen partnerships, and support further innovation across the Solana ecosystem. Much of that work will build on the September launch of Jito’s Block Assembly Marketplace (BAM), a system designed to change how transactions are grouped and processed on the network.
“This investment validates our commitment to building the technology, partnerships, and policy foundations that bring onchain finance into the mainstream,” Brian Smith, president of Jito Foundation, commented in a statement. “This milestone for Jito reflects our commitment to delivering infrastructure that not only scales with the network but maximizes economic value for all participants.”
Through BAM, validators and builders gain new ways to generate revenue, customize applications, and tap into greater on-chain composability. Smith called BAM “the most advanced block assembly solution deployed on Solana,” adding that its open plugin system “sets the stage for continued innovation by empowering developers to experiment and capture new forms of economic value.”
For a16z crypto, the deal underscores its long-term bet on Solana’s ecosystem.
“Jito is catalyzing growth for the entire Solana ecosystem through its pace of delivery and BAM’s measurable impact on network efficiency,” said Ali Yahya, General Partner at a16z crypto. “We’re excited to back Jito and its stellar team’s efforts to accelerate the adoption of decentralized finance.”
Senior Miami-based team members include Jito Labs co-founder Zano Sherwani, CEO Lucas Bruder, and business development executive Anders Jorgensen.
The funding also comes as Jito edges closer to bridging traditional and decentralized finance. In August, VanEck filed an S-1 filing with the SEC for the VanEck JitoSOL ETF, a product that would give traditional investors exposure to Solana-native liquid staking yields. The proposed ETF positions JitoSOL as a trusted asset with strong security, liquidity, and integration across DeFi protocols.
For Smith, the a16z investment is about building for the long term. “Bringing in an industry heavyweight and early investor in Solana will allow the Foundation to continue exceeding our goals,” he said. “These goals will continue to be centered around making Solana more transparent, programmable, and rewarding for everyone participating in the ecosystem.”
The $50 million investment gives Jito the resources and reach to scale what it calls “Internet Capital Markets” on Solana: a vision of decentralized infrastructure where finance operates openly and efficiently on-chain.
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