The BUILDLer Blueprint: Yishi on Grit, User-First Thinking, and What’s Next for OneKey

It’s a Tuesday afternoon when Dana H., Investment Partner of YZi Labs, sits down with Yishi Wang, Founder & CEO of OneKey – the open-source hardware wallet that recently secured funding from YZi Labs. Known for her passion for uncovering the stories behind the founders, Dana is particularly intrigued by Yishi’s journey. OneKey, after all, is celebrated for its spirit of craftsmanship and its widespread adoption in global markets – think Asia, Europe, Australia, Brazil, etc.  “Give us something

It’s a Tuesday afternoon when Dana H., Investment Partner of YZi Labs, sits down with Yishi Wang, Founder & CEO of OneKey – the open-source hardware wallet that recently secured funding from YZi Labs. Known for her passion for uncovering the stories behind the founders, Dana is particularly intrigued by Yishi’s journey. OneKey, after all, is celebrated for its spirit of craftsmanship and its widespread adoption in global markets – think Asia, Europe, Australia, Brazil, etc.  “Give us something

YZi Labs Invests in OneKey to Enhance Global Crypto Security with Affordable Self-Custody Solutions

Key Points: * OneKey develops open-source hardware wallets that address rising risks in crypto asset management, serving both retail and institutional users seeking secure self-custody. * This investment highlights YZi Labs’ commitment to gateway solutions that make web3 entry safer and more accessible for users worldwide. YZi Labs announced its investment in OneKey (X: @OneKeyHQ), an open-source hardware wallet focused on enhancing crypto security and enabling self-custody for users globall

Key Points: * OneKey develops open-source hardware wallets that address rising risks in crypto asset management, serving both retail and institutional users seeking secure self-custody. * This investment highlights YZi Labs’ commitment to gateway solutions that make web3 entry safer and more accessible for users worldwide. YZi Labs announced its investment in OneKey (X: @OneKeyHQ), an open-source hardware wallet focused on enhancing crypto security and enabling self-custody for users globall

YZi Labs Welcomes Jing Xiong as Investment Director to Lead AI and Emerging Tech Investments

Main Takeaways: * Jing Xiong joins YZi Labs as Investment Director to lead AI investments, bringing deep expertise from her Stanford Ph.D. and five years at Google. * Jing's appointment strengthens YZi Labs’ mission to support long-term founders in AI, biotech, and Web3, driving impactful innovation in these fields. YZi Labs today welcomed Jing Xiong as our new Investment Director, where she’ll lead our AI investment efforts and explore the intersection between AI, web3, and biotech.  With

Main Takeaways: * Jing Xiong joins YZi Labs as Investment Director to lead AI investments, bringing deep expertise from her Stanford Ph.D. and five years at Google. * Jing's appointment strengthens YZi Labs’ mission to support long-term founders in AI, biotech, and Web3, driving impactful innovation in these fields. YZi Labs today welcomed Jing Xiong as our new Investment Director, where she’ll lead our AI investment efforts and explore the intersection between AI, web3, and biotech.  With

YZi Labs Invests in Avalon Labs to Unlock the Next Evolution of Bitcoin-Powered Finance

Main Takeaways: * Avalon Labs is an on-chain capital market for Bitcoin, building a scalable, transparent, and accessible financial network that unlocks Bitcoin’s full economic potential. * YZi Labs supports projects with the potential to transform industries and drive lasting impact like Avalon Labs, which is unlocking Bitcoin’s vast potential for real-world usability. YZi Labs has invested in Avalon Labs (Avalon), an on-chain capital market for Bitcoin, building a scalable, transparent, an

Main Takeaways: * Avalon Labs is an on-chain capital market for Bitcoin, building a scalable, transparent, and accessible financial network that unlocks Bitcoin’s full economic potential. * YZi Labs supports projects with the potential to transform industries and drive lasting impact like Avalon Labs, which is unlocking Bitcoin’s vast potential for real-world usability. YZi Labs has invested in Avalon Labs (Avalon), an on-chain capital market for Bitcoin, building a scalable, transparent, an

YZi Labs Appoints Cathy Dou to Lead EASY Residency, Its New Global In-Person Incubation Program

Main Takeaways: * YZi Labs welcomes Cathy Dou as Incubation Operations Lead to enhance founder support for the rollout of EASY Residency, a 10-week global in-person incubation program for early-stage teams. * The program, which kicks off in New York City, on June 9, 2025, is designed for the top 1% of founders in Web3, AI and biotech. YZi Labs has announced the appointment of Cathy Dou (@cathyincubates) as Incubation Operations Lead to accelerate the growth of visionary founders building in

Main Takeaways: * YZi Labs welcomes Cathy Dou as Incubation Operations Lead to enhance founder support for the rollout of EASY Residency, a 10-week global in-person incubation program for early-stage teams. * The program, which kicks off in New York City, on June 9, 2025, is designed for the top 1% of founders in Web3, AI and biotech. YZi Labs has announced the appointment of Cathy Dou (@cathyincubates) as Incubation Operations Lead to accelerate the growth of visionary founders building in

YZi Labs Launches EASY Residency, a 10-Week In-Person Global Incubation Program

Ever dream of building the next Binance, NVIDIA, or Moderna? Do you see yourself as the next CZ, Jensen Huang, or Bob Langer? Have you ever felt the weight of building alone? Looking to join a high-caliber community of visionary founders and inspiring mentors? The founder’s journey is never EASY. Too many bold ideas fade away—not from lack of potential, but because of constant distractions.At YZi Labs (pronounced EASY Labs), we believe that visionary founders deserve more than just funding—the

Ever dream of building the next Binance, NVIDIA, or Moderna? Do you see yourself as the next CZ, Jensen Huang, or Bob Langer? Have you ever felt the weight of building alone? Looking to join a high-caliber community of visionary founders and inspiring mentors? The founder’s journey is never EASY. Too many bold ideas fade away—not from lack of potential, but because of constant distractions.At YZi Labs (pronounced EASY Labs), we believe that visionary founders deserve more than just funding—the

YZi Labs Launches Global Hackathons to Drive FinTech Innovation with AI & Blockchain

Main Takeaways: * YZi Labs is collaborating with Silicon Valley-based AGI House to host an in-person hackathon on 12 April to support exceptional founders building next-generation AI and blockchain-powered fintech solutions. * YZi Labs is also partnering with its portfolio company, DoraHacks, to host a virtual hackathon from 13–27 April, extending the in-person experience and enabling global participation. * Besides the hackathon, YZi Labs will also host a BUIDLer Breakfast networking event

Main Takeaways: * YZi Labs is collaborating with Silicon Valley-based AGI House to host an in-person hackathon on 12 April to support exceptional founders building next-generation AI and blockchain-powered fintech solutions. * YZi Labs is also partnering with its portfolio company, DoraHacks, to host a virtual hackathon from 13–27 April, extending the in-person experience and enabling global participation. * Besides the hackathon, YZi Labs will also host a BUIDLer Breakfast networking event

YZi Labs Appoints Jane He as General Partner to Lead Biotech Investments and Incubation

Main Takeaways: * YZi Labs welcomes Jane He as General Partner to lead biotech investments, while contributing to the company’s broader strategy across AI and Web3. * Jane’s appointment comes as YZi Labs expands its investment focus beyond Web3 into AI and biotech following its recent rebrand. YZi Labs today welcomed Jane He as General Partner to lead its biotech investments, while contributing to its broader strategy across AI and Web3. With a distinguished track record in investing, Jane

Main Takeaways: * YZi Labs welcomes Jane He as General Partner to lead biotech investments, while contributing to the company’s broader strategy across AI and Web3. * Jane’s appointment comes as YZi Labs expands its investment focus beyond Web3 into AI and biotech following its recent rebrand. YZi Labs today welcomed Jane He as General Partner to lead its biotech investments, while contributing to its broader strategy across AI and Web3. With a distinguished track record in investing, Jane

YZi Labs Invests in Plume Network to Bring Real World Assets On-chain and Advance RWAfi

Main Takeaways: * YZi Labs has invested in Plume Network (Plume), a fully integrated modular blockchain built specifically for RWAs. * At YZi Labs, we invest in blockchain projects with real-world impact like Plume, which brings real-world assets on-chain to unlock capital and drive adoption. YZi Labs has invested in Plume Network (Plume), a fully integrated modular blockchain built specifically for Real World Assets (RWAs). Plume is building an EVM-compatible environment that not only enabl

Main Takeaways: * YZi Labs has invested in Plume Network (Plume), a fully integrated modular blockchain built specifically for RWAs. * At YZi Labs, we invest in blockchain projects with real-world impact like Plume, which brings real-world assets on-chain to unlock capital and drive adoption. YZi Labs has invested in Plume Network (Plume), a fully integrated modular blockchain built specifically for Real World Assets (RWAs). Plume is building an EVM-compatible environment that not only enabl

MEV: Multi-Objective Optimization Unsolved

by Siyuan H (@cyodyssey), Dana H (@danabuidl) TL;DR * MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) is an old topic every blockchain deals with. It’s a complex game involving users, DeFi protocols, public chain foundations, validators, searchers, and more. New twists keep popping up, sparking interesting research questions. * How should the MEV ecosystem of a public blockchain be designed? This is a typical multi-objective optimization problem with no absolutely correct answer. Therefore, by examining th

by Siyuan H (@cyodyssey), Dana H (@danabuidl) TL;DR * MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) is an old topic every blockchain deals with. It’s a complex game involving users, DeFi protocols, public chain foundations, validators, searchers, and more. New twists keep popping up, sparking interesting research questions. * How should the MEV ecosystem of a public blockchain be designed? This is a typical multi-objective optimization problem with no absolutely correct answer. Therefore, by examining th

YZi Labs Invests in Tensorplex Labs to Supercharge the Development of Decentralized AI

Main Takeaways: * Tensorplex Labs is a decentralized AI Lab building applications, infrastructure and tools to supercharge AI development and use-cases using decentralized technologies, such as Tensorplex Dojo, Backprop Finance, and more. * With its expanded investment focus, YZi Labs is bullish on the AI space and sees decentralization as key to its evolution—this investment further strengthens its bet on decentralized AI. YZi Labs has invested in Tensorplex Labs (Tensorplex), a decentraliz

Main Takeaways: * Tensorplex Labs is a decentralized AI Lab building applications, infrastructure and tools to supercharge AI development and use-cases using decentralized technologies, such as Tensorplex Dojo, Backprop Finance, and more. * With its expanded investment focus, YZi Labs is bullish on the AI space and sees decentralization as key to its evolution—this investment further strengthens its bet on decentralized AI. YZi Labs has invested in Tensorplex Labs (Tensorplex), a decentraliz

YZi Labs Invests in Vana to Unlock AI’s Next Frontier: User-Owned Data

Main Takeaways: * Vana is a pioneer in AI data ownership and interoperability. * This marks YZi Labs’ first AI investment since its rebrand and CZ will join Vana as an advisor. YZi Labs has invested in Vana, a pioneer in AI data ownership and interoperability. The Vana L1 blockchain is designed for the secure exchange of private, personal data, addressing the skyrocketing demand for high-quality datasets in the global AI economy. By establishing data as a new and rapidly growing asset class,

Main Takeaways: * Vana is a pioneer in AI data ownership and interoperability. * This marks YZi Labs’ first AI investment since its rebrand and CZ will join Vana as an advisor. YZi Labs has invested in Vana, a pioneer in AI data ownership and interoperability. The Vana L1 blockchain is designed for the secure exchange of private, personal data, addressing the skyrocketing demand for high-quality datasets in the global AI economy. By establishing data as a new and rapidly growing asset class,