Skip

Skip is a blockchain infrastructure company that builds cross-chain connectivity tools and MEV (maximal extractable value) management systems for sovereign blockchain communities. Founded in 2022, Skip started as the largest MEV infrastructure provider in the Cosmos ecosystem before expanding into a broader cross-chain developer platform. In December 2024, Skip was acquired by the Interchain Foundation and now operates as Interchain Inc., continuing to develop its suite of open-source and API-based tools.

The Problem Skip Solves

Blockchain applications have long suffered from two interconnected problems. The first is harmful MEV: sandwich attacks, frontrunning, and adversarial transaction reordering that extract value from ordinary users. In Cosmos-based chains, the absence of structured MEV management led to severe transaction spam, as competing bots submitted near-identical arbitrage bundles in a race for block inclusion. The second problem is sovereignty loss: when block construction logic moves off-chain to private builders, chain validators lose meaningful control over block composition, MEV profits concentrate among a small number of sophisticated actors, and the chain's economic security erodes.

Skip's core thesis is that chains should own their block-building logic, capturing MEV at the protocol level rather than surrendering it to off-chain intermediaries.

Core Mechanism and Products

Protocol-Owned Block Building (PoB): Skip's original architecture uses ABCI++ — the Cosmos SDK's application-layer consensus extension — to move block construction preferences into the protocol itself. Non-proposing validators can accept or reject blocks based on transaction ordering rules: enforcing gas-price ordering, mandating oracle transactions at the top of the block, or prohibiting frontrunning on DEX pairs. This makes block-building policy a consensus-level concern, not an off-chain negotiation.

Skip Select: Skip's first product was a sealed-bid blockspace auction that constructs the top of each block from submitted transaction bundles. Traders pay for guaranteed top-of-block execution; proceeds flow to validators and stakers rather than being extracted by external bots. This gave Cosmos chains a structured way to monetize MEV without harming users.

ProtoRev: Co-built with the Osmosis chain in 2023, ProtoRev is an on-chain Cosmos SDK module that detects and executes backrunning arbitrage opportunities directly within the protocol, then directs profits to the chain treasury or burn mechanism. Rather than letting external searchers capture arbitrage value, the chain captures it itself. On Osmosis, ProtoRev has been responsible for burning over a million OSMO tokens worth of value since deployment in the v15 upgrade.

Block SDK: Skip released the Block SDK in 2023 as a programmable block-builder toolkit for any Cosmos SDK chain. It structures the block as a configurable set of lanes, each with its own transaction types, validity rules, and ordering logic. Chains can configure lanes for MEV auctions, oracle price updates, governance transactions, or standard user activity — all enforced at the consensus level without external builders.

Skip:Go API: Skip's cross-chain routing product is now the company's primary developer-facing offering. Skip:Go is a single-endpoint API that enables developers to compose bridging and swapping across chains in a single operation. It supports multiple interoperability protocols including IBC, CCTP, Hyperlane, Eureka, Stargate, Axelar, and Gofast. A developer can specify a source asset and destination asset across any two supported chains, and Skip:Go handles routing, gas estimation, real-time tracking, and error handling.

Skip:Go Widget: A drop-in JavaScript widget that lets dApps embed cross-chain asset onboarding with a single code snippet. It handles the full user flow — wallet connection, routing, and transaction execution — removing the need for teams to build bridge and swap interfaces from scratch.

Skip:Connect: Originally called Slinky, Skip:Connect is a native oracle system for Cosmos chains. It consists of two components: Cosmos SDK modules embedded directly into the chain binary, and a sidecar process run by the chain's existing validators. This design delivers price feeds, cryptographic proofs, and remote chain state at sub-millisecond latency, while keeping the oracle operated by the chain's own validator set rather than a separate third-party network.

Supported Chains and Assets

Skip:Go's cross-chain routing covers Solana, Ethereum, and a broad set of Cosmos appchains including Osmosis, dYdX v4, Celestia, Neutron, Noble, Initia, and Berachain. It supports native assets, IBC-transferred tokens, USDC via CCTP, and wrapped assets across those ecosystems. Users can, for example, move USDC from Solana to Celestia's TIA in a single routed transaction that Skip:Go constructs and executes end-to-end.

Skip's MEV and oracle infrastructure (ProtoRev, Block SDK, Skip:Connect) is deployed on Cosmos SDK chains. Confirmed integrations include Osmosis, dYdX v4, Injective, Sei Network, Neutron, Celestia, Initia, Noble, and Berachain. Wallet partners include Keplr and Leap.

Team and History

Skip was co-founded by Barry Plunkett and Maghnus Mareneck in 2022. In September 2022, Skip raised a seed round of $6.5 million led by Bain Capital Crypto, with participation from Galaxy Digital, IEX Group, Canonical Crypto, Informal Systems, Figment VC, Faction VC, NFX, SV Angel, Jump Crypto, and Robot Ventures. The raise was specifically focused on building MEV solutions for the Cosmos ecosystem.

In December 2024, the Interchain Foundation (ICF) — the nonprofit that stewards the Cosmos Hub — acquired Skip and restructured it as Interchain Inc., a subsidiary of the ICF. Both co-founders remained in place as co-leaders of Interchain Inc. The acquisition positioned Skip's developer tooling and cross-chain infrastructure inside the same organization that governs the broader Cosmos interoperability standard.

Solana Ecosystem Fit

Skip's direct involvement with Solana is through its Skip:Go routing layer, which treats Solana as a source chain for cross-chain asset flows into Cosmos. Solana users can route tokens from Solana into Cosmos-native ecosystems — including DeFi protocols on Osmosis, USDC moves via Noble, and assets destined for Celestia or Neutron — using the Skip:Go API or widget. For Solana-native dApps, integrating Skip:Go means users arrive with assets from anywhere without the app needing to manage multiple bridge integrations.

Skip's core MEV and block-building infrastructure is Cosmos SDK-specific and does not extend into Solana's validator or block-production layer, which operates under a separate MEV ecosystem. Skip's Solana relevance is as a cross-chain bridge aggregator and routing abstraction layer, not as a Solana block-builder or validator tool.