#427: Joanna Zeng, CEO of SOON Network, on Being an ETH L2 Using SVM, The Future of High-performance L2s, and Community Centric Building

Joanna Zeng is the co-founder and CEO of SOON Network, before establishing SOON (Solana Optimistic Network), Joanna used to be a currency trader on Wall Street, and has since held roles in business development and product management at Aleo, Optimism, and Coinbase. She also served as a founding board member of CryptoNYC and is an active angel investor.

SOON is a Layer 2 (L2) blockchain built on Solana's Virtual Machine (SVM). It uses Optimistic Rollups to take Solana’s already impressive speed and low costs to a whole new level.

Under Joanna’s leadership, SOON has rapidly progressed, launching its DevNet within six months and positioning itself as a key player in the next wave of blockchain innovation. Her journey from traditional finance to blockchain exemplifies her vision and commitment to creating sustainable, real-world solutions that push the boundaries of decentralization.

In this conversation, we discuss:
- SOON is an ETH L2 using the SVM
- Saratoga Water going viral
- Community-Centric Building
- SOON led a ‘co-builder’ funding round in 2024 with no VC involvement, allowing community to have stake in the project
- High-Performance L2s
- Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)
- SOON’s decoupled SVM separates execution from consensus
- Kaito yaps
- Key benefits of using SVMs compared to EVMs
- The future of L2s
- Ethereum L2 fragmentation

SOON Network
Website: soo.network
X: @soon_svm
Discord: discord.gg/soon-svm

Joanna Zeng
X: @justsayuluvjo
LinkedIn: Joanna Zeng

 
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