CoinDesk
Five senior former Ethereum Foundation researchers launched Ethlabs on Monday as an independent nonprofit, funded by SharpLink Gaming (SBET) and Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), two of the largest corporate Ether treasury holders, alongside Consensys CEO and Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, Anchorage Digital, Octant and SNZ.
The research team is led by Ansgar Dietrichs, Barnabé Monnot, Caspar Schwarz-Schilling, Josh Rudolf and Julian Ma, contributors whose previous work covered Ethereum scaling, data availability, protocol economics and network finality. Monnot and Ma were among the high-profile departures from the Foundation earlier this year, and the launch lands one week after co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang said she would step down, extending a string of exits that has reshaped the Foundation's leadership bench.
Ethlabs' first agenda targets faster transaction settlement, expanded Ethereum capacity and infrastructure for institutions issuing tokenized assets and stablecoins onchain.
Why it matters
Supporters frame Ethlabs as the test case for a "multi-node" development model, where independent organizations share stewardship of Ethereum instead of routing most protocol work through the Foundation. Lubin, announcing the structure, said the network is "poised to recognize and implement the idea that there should be a number of steward nodes of Ethereum," each configured to evolve the protocol in its own way.
The funding architecture reinforces that pitch. SharpLink and Bitmine have built sizable corporate ETH treasury strategies, and Ethlabs says its research agenda will stay independent through an external grants process, with funders receiving transparency reports but no control over technical priorities. All research will be published openly.
Market impact
The institutional tilt is concrete: Ethereum hosts roughly 53% of the $300 billion stablecoin market and about half of the $32 billion tokenized-asset market, per RWA.xyz.
Frequently asked questions
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What is Ethlabs and who is funding it?
Ethlabs is a new independent nonprofit research and development organization founded by five former senior Ethereum Foundation researchers. It is funded by SharpLink Gaming and Bitmine Immersion Technologies, two of the largest corporate Ether treasury holders, along with Consensys CEO Joe Lubin, Anchorage Digital,…
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Who are the researchers leading Ethlabs?
The organization is led by Ansgar Dietrichs (executive director), Barnabé Monnot, Caspar Schwarz-Schilling, Josh Rudolf and Julian Ma. Their prior Ethereum Foundation work covered scaling, data availability, protocol economics and network finality.
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Why did the researchers leave the Ethereum Foundation?
Monnot and Ma were among the high-profile departures from the Foundation earlier this year. The launch of Ethlabs comes one week after co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang announced she would step down, extending a wave of leadership exits at the Switzerland-based Foundation.
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What is the "multi-node" model Ethlabs is backing?
Supporters describe it as a development model in which independent organizations share responsibility for advancing Ethereum, rather than routing most protocol research through the Foundation. Lubin framed it as multiple steward nodes, each configured in its own way to evolve and protect the network.
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How does Ethlabs stay independent from its funders?
Ethlabs says its research agenda runs through an external grants administration process. Funding contributors receive transparency reports but do not control technical priorities, and all research is published openly.
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