SOON Network

[[PROJECT:382]] SOON Network is an Ethereum Layer 2 that uses the Solana Virtual Machine as its execution engine. Founded in June 2024 by Joanna Zeng, the project's core argument is that the SVM's parallel transaction model can be separated from Solana's consensus layer and redeployed as a rollup on any base chain — Ethereum first, BNB Chain second, with the architecture open to further settlement targets.

Decoupled SVM Architecture

SOON's defining technical contribution is what its team calls the Decoupled SVM (dSVM). Standard Solana execution is tightly coupled to Proof of History consensus and the Transaction Processing Unit (TPU) that drives it. SOON extracted the TPU from that consensus machinery and placed it under rollup node control, keeping the SVM's parallel processing capability while eliminating validator vote overhead.

The result is block production at 50-millisecond intervals — compared to Solana's approximately 400ms — with current throughput around 5,000 transactions per second. The team targets 600,000 TPS on its roadmap after integrating the Firedancer validator client. Both the block time and TPS figures come from SOON's own documentation.

Two additional architectural components complete the design. Merklization addresses a structural gap in the SVM: the account model does not natively produce state roots usable for rollup fraud proofs. SOON resolves this with a Merkle Patricia Trie implementation and a system called UniqueEntry, enabling state root generation required for L2 security guarantees. Horizontal scaling through TPU distribution lets each additional node handle an independent transaction slice, with theoretical throughput scaling linearly as nodes are added.

Third-party security audits from BEOSIN and BLOCK SEC have reviewed the protocol.

Three Products

SOON Mainnet is the flagship Layer 2 settling on Ethereum, with EigenDA providing data availability. Alpha Mainnet launched in January 2025. The network runs optimistic fraud proofs via an OP Stack implementation, with ZK-proof integration in the roadmap to shorten the withdrawal challenge window. The modular architecture also supports Celestia and Avail as DA alternatives.

SOON Stack is a framework for launching SVM-based Layer 2 chains on any base Layer 1. Infrastructure partners Caldera and Altlayer handle deployment. The Stack's first external production deployment is svmBNB, an SVM L2 running on BNB Chain, which demonstrates that multi-settlement beyond Ethereum is operational rather than theoretical.

InterSOON is the cross-chain messaging layer connecting SOON Mainnet, SOON Stack chains, and external networks. It runs on Hyperlane's underlying messaging infrastructure and handles asset transfers and contract calls across all SOON-connected chains.

Team and Funding

Joanna Zeng (CEO) previously worked at Coinbase, Optimism, and Aleo. CTO Andrew Zhou brings five-plus years of Rust development and six-plus years of Golang systems work.

An initial funding round in August 2024 drew backing from Coinbase Ventures, Solana Foundation chair Lily Liu, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, Wormhole co-creator Robinson Burkey, and Celestia Labs' Mustafa Al-Bassam. The list reflects alignment across the Solana ecosystem and the modular DA space simultaneously.

In a separate raise reported by The Block, SOON raised $22 million through a "COMMing SOON" NFT sale ahead of mainnet. That round was led by Hack VC, with participation from ABCDE, Hypersphere, SNZ Capital, Anagram, ArkStream Capital, GeekCartel, PAKA, Web3Port, and MH Venture. By the time of mainnet launch, over 11,000 ETH had been locked on the SOON testnet bridge.

$SOON Token

The [[TOKEN:4eDf52YYzL6i6gbZ6FXqrLUPXbtP61f1gPSFM66M4XHe]] token launched on January 3, 2025, concurrent with Alpha Mainnet. The distribution model allocates 51% of supply to the community, with the project claiming no pre-mining, no VC allocation, and no preferential distribution. Backpack Wallet was the initial integrated wallet for the network.

Ecosystem

At public mainnet launch, more than 20 projects were building on SOON, including Portal Finance (a lending protocol targeting meme assets), Raptor (liquidity infrastructure), and Alita (a DEX combining DODO's PMM and AMM models). Broader integrations include UXLINK, a social platform the project describes as having 20 million-plus users, and Wormhole for wider cross-chain connectivity.

By mid-2026, cumulative active addresses across SOON-connected chains reached approximately 1.4 million, and total value locked ranged between $6.5 million and $15 million, according to analysis from Bex.co. The SOON Stack has validated multi-settlement deployment through svmBNB, though ecosystem density across all deployments remains well below the density of longer-established L2s.

SOON's closest direct competitor is Eclipse, the other SVM L2 on Ethereum, which reached mainnet in November 2024. The distinction SOON draws is architectural scope: the SOON Stack positions it as infrastructure for a multi-chain SVM network rather than a single high-performance chain. Whether that positioning generates developer adoption beyond SOON Mainnet itself is the open question as the project moves through 2026.