Rachel Chu is the cofounder of Solayer, a hardware-accelerated restaking protocol built on the Solana blockchain. She is known for her contributions to decentralized finance (DeFi) projects and blockchain technology development. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Overview

Rachel Chu established herself in the blockchain industry through her work on multiple prominent projects before co-founding Solayer Labs. Solayer has emerged as one of the top protocols on the Solana network, focusing on providing hardware-accelerated blockchain infrastructure that enables microsecond transaction speeds. The protocol aims to enhance network security and performance for decentralized applications through its restaking mechanism.

As a technical founder with experience across various blockchain ecosystems, Chu has contributed to the development of decentralized trading protocols and Layer 1 solutions. Her work spans product development, go-to-market strategy, and core protocol design. Solayer has gained significant traction in the blockchain space, with reports indicating it has accumulated hundreds of millions in total value locked (TVL).

Education

Rachel Chu initially studied at the University of California, Berkeley in the School of Electrical Engineering before transitioning to Computer Science. She later left her studies after receiving the Thiel Fellowship, which provides grants to young entrepreneurs who choose to build companies instead of attending college. Chu also briefly studied Computer Science at Stanford University before focusing full-time on her professional endeavors. ^{[3] [6] [1]}

Career

Rachel Chu began her blockchain career as a core contributor at SushiSwap, a decentralized trading protocol that was fair-launched in September 2020. At SushiSwap, she led product development and go-to-market strategy for the protocol, which grew to achieve $6.5 billion in total value locked (TVL) and $985.24 billion in trading volume. SushiSwap emerged as one of the leading decentralized exchanges in the DeFi ecosystem during her tenure.

Following her work in decentralized finance, Chu served as a venture scout at Sequoia Capital US, one of the world's leading venture capital firms. In this role, she likely identified promising blockchain and technology startups for potential investment, leveraging her technical background and industry connections.

In 2024, Rachel Chu co-founded Solayer Labs alongside Jason Li. Solayer is described as a hardware-accelerated SVM (Solana Virtual Machine) Layer 1 protocol that has accumulated approximately $400-600 million in total value locked. The project has received backing from prominent investors including Polychain Capital and Binance Labs.

Solayer positions itself as a decentralized cloud platform that provisions network security and performance for applications on demand through its restaking mechanism. The protocol is designed to leverage hardware acceleration to achieve microsecond transaction speeds with zero latency, addressing key scalability challenges in blockchain infrastructure.

In a conversation with Jane King on the program "Innovators," Chu discussed how Solayer has become one of the top ten protocols on the Solana network. She explained how the company's breakthrough technology is shaping the future of decentralized finance, AI agents, and global financial systems through its high-performance blockchain infrastructure.

Rachel Chu maintains an active online presence under the handle "0xChu" across various platforms. She publishes blockchain-related content on her Substack, where she discusses topics such as Solana network performance and blockchain technology developments. She is also active on GitHub, where she contributes to blockchain-related repositories.

Chu has participated in industry events as a speaker, sharing insights on blockchain technology, decentralized finance, and Solayer's approach to scaling blockchain infrastructure. These speaking engagements have helped establish her reputation as a thought leader in the blockchain space.

Solayer's technology focuses on hardware acceleration for blockchain infrastructure, specifically targeting the Solana ecosystem. The protocol aims to provide enhanced security and performance for decentralized applications through its restaking mechanism, which allows token holders to contribute to network security while earning rewards. This approach represents an evolution in blockchain infrastructure design, combining hardware optimization with decentralized consensus mechanisms. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]}

Interviews

LilaMax Media: Soler’s Perspective #01

As presented on the LilaMax Media YouTube channel, Rachel Chu, co‑founder of Solayer, an emerging protocol on the Solana Network, traces cryptocurrency’s origins to the cypherpunk movement, whose core belief is individual sovereignty in the digital realm. According to the interviewer’s view, she explains that managing vast quantities of online data effectively demands truly decentralized networks. To meet this challenge, Solayer is developing a hardware‑accelerated infrastructure, leveraging innovations such as Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA), capable of supporting everything from high‑frequency trading to large‑scale institutional transactions.

The interviewer also highlights that Solayer secured USD 12 million in venture capital to fund its ambitious goal of achieving near‑zero latency and processing up to one million transactions per second. Rachel outlines her vision for blockchain’s future in everyday life, advocating for the widespread adoption of decentralized wallets that return financial control directly to users.

Throughout the discussion, she details Solayer’s native token, Layer, explaining its multifaceted role, from covering transaction fees to enabling network governance. Finally, the interviewer raises recent governmental steps, like the White House Summit on Bitcoin reserves, and, drawing on his perspective, shares Rachel’s insights on why any public entity venturing into digital‑asset reserves must prioritize stability and productivity given cryptocurrencies’ inherent volatility. ^[14]