The 5' Quantum Leap

Welcome to our monthly newsletter, a space designed to keep you updated on the most relevant trends in Venture Capital and the most promising projects in the fields of Web3, Blockchain, AI, & Quantum.

Get ready to explore:

• VC Trends: Billions flowing into AI-Web3 hybrids and developer-first tools. (1-2 minutes)

• Electric Capital 2024 Report: Key insights from Electric Capital’s Developer Report. (1-2 minutes)

• ICP's Stellarator Upgrade: A game-changer for on-chain storage and computational power. (1-2 minutes)

• Quantum Leap Labs Updates: Building the Future with the latest projects. (1-2 minutes)

• Web3 Wisdom: Fair Launch 101—How ICP SNS DAO projects like KongSwap, WaternNeuron or ICVC are redefining fundraising. (1-2 minutes)

Total Reading Time: 6-10 minutes

VC Trends: Where’s the Money Going?

Crypto venture funding has bounced back with a 27% surge. Artificial Intelligence (26.56%) and Developer Tools (26.23%) are neck-and-neck in dominating VC focus.

As of January 2025, venture capital investments are focused on key sectors:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI): VCs prioritize problem-specific AI solutions with clear product-market fit, favoring targeted over general-purpose applications.

2. Healthcare and Biopharma: Startups in holistic health scanning and mid-stage biopharma trials are gaining traction due to their potential for impactful results.

3. Climate and Sustainability: Investments target technologies addressing climate change, renewable energy, and sustainability.

4. Financial Inclusion and Fintech: Innovations enhancing financial access, particularly in underserved markets, remain a priority.

5. China's Investment Banking: A resurgence in IPO activity is expected, supported by government incentives and favorable offshore listing conditions.

6. VC Ecosystem Dynamics: Increased public fund participation and the rise of specialized, boutique VC funds are driving sector-specific innovation.

Beyond funding, what’s fueling innovation and growth across blockchain ecosystems? Let’s dive into the Electric Capital 2024 Developer Report for some answers.

Key Highlights from Electric Capital’s 2024 Developer Report

The lifeblood of any blockchain protocol is its developer activity. Electric Capital’s latest report reveals which ecosystems are thriving, how they’re growing, and where developers are doubling down. Here’s the breakdown:

Top Protocols by Developer Activity

• Ethereum (ETH): Still the king of the hill with the largest developer base, powered by its thriving DeFi platforms, NFT marketplaces, and robust Layer 2 scaling solutions like Optimism and zkSync.

• Solana: Racing ahead thanks to its low-cost, high-speed transactions, making it a go-to for DeFi, gaming, and social dApps.

• Internet Computer (ICP): One of 2024’s biggest climbers, with a rapidly growing ecosystem driven by innovations in decentralized storage, full-stack Web3 apps, and seamless cross-chain capabilities.

• Polkadot: Steady growth fueled by its interoperable parachains and developer-friendly tooling.

• Cosmos: Continues to shine as the backbone of interoperable blockchain apps through its IBC protocol.

What’s Driving Growth?

• Ethereum’s Scaling Boom: Layer 2 solutions like Arbitrum and Optimism are turbocharging developer contributions, unlocking more use cases with reduced costs.

• Solana’s dApp Explosion: Its speed and affordability are attracting games and decentralized social platforms, cementing its place in the consumer market.

• ICP’s Game-Changing Tech Stack: Developers are flocking to ICP for its seamless Web2-Web3 integration, which allows apps to run fully on-chain without needing middleware.

Developer Growth by Ecosystem

• Ethereum, Solana, and ICP have emerged as the champions of developer retention, keeping experienced contributors engaged for over two years.

• ICP saw a stunning 35% growth in active developer contributions, outpacing all competitors and signaling its rising popularity in the blockchain world.

• Solana followed with a 15.6% increase, driven by its growing consumer-facing dApp ecosystem.

• Ethereum, while growing at a slower 10%, retains its position as the largest and most robust developer ecosystem.

Electric Capital 2024 insights Developer Report:

1. Developer Activity by Protocol (2023 vs. 2024):

   • Ethereum remains the leader, with over 11,000 active developers in 2024.

   • Solana shows significant growth, surpassing 5,200 developers.

   • Internet Computer (ICP) exhibits a remarkable increase, growing from 2,200 to 2,970 developers.

   • Polkadot and Cosmos maintain steady growth.

2. Developer Growth Rates (2023 to 2024):

   • ICP leads with a 35% growth rate, signaling its rising popularity in the blockchain space.

   • Solana follows with a 15.6% increase, driven by its adoption in consumer-facing dApps.

   • Ethereum shows a consistent but smaller growth rate of 10%.

What’s New in the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP)?

ICP, spearheaded by DFINITY, has shattered expectations with its Stellarator milestone. We now know what's possible in on-chain storage and computational performance.

By scaling subnet memory limits to 1TB and canister stable memory to 500GB, ICP has achieved a stunning 125x capacity increase since its 2021 debut.

Know more about it here:

Fun fact: Stellarator’s upgrades mean ICP could host something as vast as the archives of Netflix or train a GPT-like AI model entirely on-chain—no centralized intermediaries required.

Record-Setting Growth

ICP’s progress in 2024 wasn’t just incremental—it was explosive:

• Cycle Burn Growth: ICP recorded an astounding 8,870% year-over-year growth in cycles burned, a clear indicator of network revenue and dApp activity (see below).

• Blockchain Expansion: Over 4 terabytes of new data were added to the network in 2024 alone—equivalent to 3.3 Ethereum or 6.4 Bitcoin chains combined.

• Deflationary Milestones: The ICP token became deflationary several times as the network’s utility surged, with cycle burns surpassing newly minted tokens for governance and node providers.

Quantum Leap Labs Updates — Building the Future

Quantum Leap Labs, led by Javier Arroyo Ferrer and Ritvick Paliwal, has taken a commanding role in accelerating Internet Computer (ICP) adoption by launching North America’s first ICP-focused incubator that provides unparalleled support for startups from the initial spark of an idea to a successful launch.

Their latest highlight? RhinoSpider, a next-gen project stirring up on-chain data analytics by leveraging ICP's increased computational power and scalability, Fantasy Extreme is a blockchain-based fantasy football platform on ICP, preparing its Token Generation Event (TGE) through the SNS DAO.

Explore more at, Abell Finance is a decentralized finance platform on ICP, offering innovative financial solutions for users. Learn more at. Keygate is a blockchain security and access management solution on ICP, enhancing secure access for decentralized applications. Discover more at.

Beyond this, Quantum Leap Labs hosted the Global Townhall ICP Hub North America Alliance together with ICP HUB Canada & US and ICP HUB US on December 20th, featuring top speakers, including Michael Terpin (BitAngels), Tom Serres, Scott Keto (CoinList), Frederic Fernandez (DexTools), Halsey Huth (MoonPay), Jeff Milligan (CoinTelegraph), Sander Gorjes (TheHelloLabs), Scott Page (PinkFloyd), Silvia Biestro (Orygyn), Melissa Song (Gold DAO), Utkarsh Goyal (YRAL), and Max Chamberlin (Bitfinity), among others.

Web3 Wisdom — Learn Something New!

What Is Fair Launch 101: Recent Successful SNS Launches

A Fair Launch in cryptocurrency means everyone—developers, users, and newcomers—gets an equal chance. No secret handshakes, no insider deals. It’s crypto’s way of saying, “Power to the people.”

Spotlight: Recent Successful SNS Launches

The Internet Computer ecosystem continues to showcase the power of SNS-driven launches, with notable successes like KongSwap, Water Neuron, and ICVC setting the standard for decentralized governance and innovation.

KongSwap (kongswap.io) – Valued at $28M, this DEX enables seamless cross-chain token trading using ICP’s Chain Fusion technology, eliminating traditional bridges. A fair SNS token distribution and community-driven governance have made KongSwap a benchmark for decentralized exchanges.

Water Neuron (waterneuron.fi) – With a valuation of $11M, Water Neuron exemplifies transparent governance through fair token distribution, allowing users to actively vote on proposals and shape the project’s direction.

ICVC (ICVC Launch Platform) – Valued at $25M, ICVC is building a vibrant, community-driven ecosystem with its decentralized governance model, further solidifying the SNS framework's potential.

Discover more projects and upcoming launches on the official SNS Launchpad: https://nns.ic0.app/launchpad/

These SNS-driven projects highlight the Internet Computer’s capacity to revolutionize decentralized ecosystems by empowering communities to take the lead.

Fair Launches aren’t new, and some other crypto’s biggest names got it right:

• Bitcoin: The OG Fair Launch. No pre-mining, no exclusivity, just a shot for anyone with a computer.

• Yearn.Finance (YFI): All tokens were earned by contributors. Founder Andre Cronje didn’t take a single one for himself.

• OpenDAO: By airdropping SOS tokens to early NFT users, they proved loyalty deserves rewards.

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Have a Story? Submit your projects or events for a chance to be featured in next month’s edition to javier@quantumleaplabs.ca

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