Initia: Entering the Multichain Garden of Eden

Key Takeaways

• Initia is building a 'Multichain Garden of Eden' where thousands of appchains coexist harmoniously through modularity and orchestration, presenting an architecture composed of three pillars: Layer 1, Interwoven Rollups, and Interwoven Components.

• Initia Layer 1 serves as the ecosystem's central hub, managing transactions through the OPinit framework and orchestrating an integrated liquidity environment via Enshrined Liquidity and Minitswap, rather than functioning as a mere settlement layer.

• Interwoven Rollups are full-stack appchains specialized for various domains including DeFi, gaming, NFTs, and AI, providing developers with optimized execution environments without the burden of technology selection.

• Interwoven Components prevent fragmentation in the multichain ecosystem through economic connections via VIP, chain connections utilizing IBC and LayerZero, and product connections through integrated UI/UX.

• Initia has already onboarded more than 16 appchains at mainnet launch, establishing a new model that reflects both the potential and limitations of existing modular blockchains by ensuring autonomy while fostering close connectivity within the ecosystem.

1. Initia: A Multichain Garden of Eden Where Modularity and Orchestration Coexist in Harmony

Initia appears to be an attempt to implement the most complete form of "Modularism" through modularity and orchestration. The modularism referenced here isn't simply about determining superiority between monolithic and modular blockchains, or about technical definitions based on the separation of consensus and execution. It represents a philosophy that seeks a structure where specialized functions are separated and flexibly combined, while the entire ecosystem grows together through openness and collaboration.

Initia directly reflects this philosophy in its architecture. Specifically, Initia utilizes both a Cosmos SDK and CometBFT-based Layer 1 that handles execution and consensus independently, alongside optimistic rollups based on the OP Stack bedrock specification. According to conventional categorization, this resembles a hybrid structure of monolithic and modular blockchain architectures. Strictly speaking, it also differs from traditional monolithic chains because it utilizes Celestia for Data Availability (DA).

However, in Initia, such distinctions aren't particularly significant considerations. The core focus isn't whether it's monolithic or modular, but rather the flexible approach of combining blockchain structures in an optimized manner based on the ecosystem Initia aims to create. Initia's vision for the blockchain future involves thousands of independent appchains operating simultaneously with a Layer 1 that orchestrates them as a central hub. Therefore, the current design combining Layer 1 and optimistic rollups is the result of finding the most suitable approach to implement the multichain ecosystem that Initia envisions.

So what exactly is the multichain ecosystem that Initia aims to build? Initia aims to create an ecosystem where appchains across various domains—DeFi, gaming, NFTs, AI, and more—exist independently yet remain closely interconnected. "Interwoven," which is virtually synonymous with Initia, symbolizes the organic interconnectedness of the ecosystem.

Based on this vision, examining Initia's architecture reveals that Layer 1 and Layer 2 aren't structured in a simple hierarchical manner, but are interconnected through chain-level incentives (VIP), Enshrined Liquidity, and interoperability infrastructure. In other words, appchains maintain their characteristics as independent chains while sharing liquidity and user bases to secure sustainable growth drivers. The blueprint for Initia's "Multichain Garden of Eden" is a blockchain network where appchains revolve around their unique purposes while harmoniously forming a single ecosystem.

To realize this blueprint, Initia has carefully analyzed the path established by modular blockchains such as Cosmos, Ethereum, and Polkadot, incorporating the limitations and possibilities revealed in the process into its architectural design. As a result, the overall structure centers around three key design intentions:

First, Layer 1 must serve beyond a settlement layer, functioning as a focal point that organically orchestrates distributed appchains.

Second, a development environment that minimizes the burden of technical choices is essential so that developers can focus on building core services. In particular, appchains should be able to secure security through the Layer 1 without having to set up their own validator sets or bear the cost of security. At the same time, they must retain sufficient autonomy in configuring their appchains through customizable features such as transaction ordering and gas fee settings.

Third, it must form an integrated ecosystem that is technically and economically tightly connected while preserving the diversity of appchains.

Based on these design intentions, Initia's ecosystem comprising the Interwoven economy is divided into three pillars:

1. Initia Layer 1: The core foundation for security and consensus, serving as the ecosystem's central hub performing various functions including message transmission with rollups, state verification, and shared liquidity.

2. Interwoven Rollups: App-dedicated rollups deployed on Layer 2, built on Initia's Interwoven Stack. They provide services specialized for different domains such as DeFi, gaming, NFTs, and AI.

3. Interwoven Components: Key components connecting Layer 1 and rollups. They support interoperability with external chains such as Ethereum, Solana, and Cosmos through LayerZero and IBC, while the VIP incentive system aligns the interests of ecosystem participants to promote economic growth based on cooperation.

These three pillars each perform their unique roles while operating organically together to build an interconnected multichain ecosystem. In the following sections, we'll take a deeper look at the Initia ecosystem, focusing on Initia Layer 1, Interwoven Rollups, and Interwoven Components.

2. Initia Layer 1: The Orchestration Layer

If Ethereum were rebuilt for rollups, what would it look like? Currently, the Ethereum mainnet is limited to settling rollup states and plays a restricted role in connecting rollups in terms of securing interoperability or coordinating incentives.

This leads to two problems—first, it creates a fragmented rollup environment that fails to provide a consistent user experience, and second, rollups lack clear incentives to contribute to mainnet growth or collaborate with other rollups, resulting in an economically disconnected ecosystem. This structure ultimately hinders user experience and weakens Ethereum's growth drivers, which has been identified as a chronic issue.

Therefore, if Ethereum were redesigned, expanding the role of the mainnet to organically coordinate fragmented rollups could be considered. Drawing on this insight, Initia Layer 1 presents an alternative as an orchestration layer. Powered by Cosmos SDK and MoveVM, Initia's Layer 1 performs a pivotal role encompassing the management of rollup transaction lifecycles, security, and liquidity. As a result, Interwoven Rollups deployed on Layer 2 can operate organically on a consistent user experience and interconnected structure.

2.1 Transaction Orchestration: OPinit Framework

Initia Layer 1 comprehensively manages all aspects of rollup execution, from transaction transmission to state root submission and fraud verification, based on the built-in rollup framework, the Interwoven Stack. The key engine performing a crucial role in this process is the OPinit Framework, which orchestrates the entire lifecycle of rollup transactions. It consists of three main components: the OPinit Bridge, Executor, and Challenger, which automate the entire process required for rollup execution. Among these, the Executor and Challenger are off-chain agents that perform and monitor tasks related to rollup operation and security, collectively referred to as 'OPinit Bots'.

• OPinit Bridge: A component responsible for asset movement between Initia Layer 1 and each rollup, operating through Cosmos SDK-based OpHost (Layer 1) and OpChild (Layer 2) modules. The interaction between these two modules enables basic Layer 1 and Layer 2 integration, including deposit/withdrawal message delivery, rollup state submission, and oracle data processing.

• Executor: A component that automates rollup operations, performing core tasks such as token deposits and withdrawals between Layer 1 and rollups, state root submission, Celestia DA integration, and oracle data updates.

• Challenger: The Challenger monitors the state root submissions by the Executor in real-time, validates and challenges any erroneous or inaccurate proposals through verification to maintain rollup security.

2.2 Security Orchestration: Challenger & Celestia Light Node

In Initia's security, Layer 1 is organically integrated with Layer 2, off-chain components (OPinit Bots), and Celestia (used for DA) to secure the chain. In this process, the aforementioned OPinit Bots mediate from rollup state submission to challenges, playing a role in verifying the integrity of rollup states. Celestia stores all transaction data for the rollups and provides information to verify the authenticity of transactions when challenges occur.

More specifically, rollups submit Output Roots summarizing their current state to Layer 1 at regular intervals. Submitted output roots aren't immediately finalized but undergo verification during a challenge period of approximately 7 days. During this period, the Challenger of the OPinit Bot compares the submitted data with transaction data stored in Celestia to determine any fraud, and if errors are found, deletes the root and executes a Fraud Proof.

In this process, Celestia DA provides a data foundation for the Challenger to review all rollup transaction data in a trustworthy form, without directly intervening in transaction verification or fraud proofs. Instead, Initia Layer 1's validators selectively review only the necessary data at the necessary time through Celestia light nodes, enabling them to secure both security and scalability without running an entire rollup node.

2.3 Liquidity Orchestration: Liquidity Stack

The final key role of Initia Layer 1 to examine is its function as a liquidity hub orchestrating liquidity across the ecosystem. In the existing Ethereum ecosystem, liquidity is fragmented across more than 100 Layer 2s, which is identified as a major factor hindering user experience. As a result, users must either accept high slippage during trades, experience long waiting times due to frequent bridge usage, or rely on third-party bridge solutions.

To address this issue, Initia has built a 'Liquidity Stack' centered on Layer 1, ensuring that liquidity flows consistently across the ecosystem through a consistent path. At the bottom of the Liquidity Stack is Enshrined Liquidity, which maximizes capital efficiency by combining security mechanisms and liquidity provision. Above it is Minitswap, which processes asset movement between appchains in near real-time. At the top is the Initia DEX, the interface where users directly perform trades. By integrating the entire process of liquidity creation, movement, and utilization into a single stack structure, Initia creates a deep and rich liquidity environment, providing users and appchains with a predictable and seamless trading experience.

2.3.1 Enshrined Liquidity

Initia is designed so that its network token, INIT, can simultaneously perform the dual roles of security and liquidity through Enshrined Liquidity. This originates from an attempt to solve the structural dilemma of the Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism—namely, that as staking for security increases, liquidity within the ecosystem decreases.

Enshrined Liquidity is a mechanism designed to allow liquidity providers' positions to be converted into staking assets that contribute to the network's economic security. Users can deposit assets into whitelisted pools containing INIT, and then stake the LP tokens they acquire to delegate them to validators. For example, it becomes possible to stake LP tokens from the INIT-sUSDe pool.

This structure maximizes capital efficiency for liquidity providers and provides complex earning opportunities through LP rewards, staking rewards, and gauge voting, thereby increasing incentives for liquidity provision participation. As a result, appchains can build services based on Enshrined Liquidity without separate liquidity mining, and users can enjoy a predictable trading experience in a deep and stable liquidity environment.

Ultimately, Enshrined Liquidity ensures that staking rewards contribute substantially to the ecosystem's overall liquidity flow, beyond merely covering security costs. Viewed differently, this means that assets in liquidity pools that might otherwise remain idle are utilized for the network's economic security. This design realizes both network security and liquidity acquisition simultaneously, ultimately forming the foundation of the Liquidity Stack that creates a consistent liquidity flow across the ecosystem.

2.3.2 Minitswap

While Enshrined Liquidity provides a rich liquidity foundation, Minitswap performs the role of efficiently moving that liquidity. Minitswap is a virtual pool-based DEX designed to address the withdrawal delay issue caused by the challenge period of optimistic rollups. In existing optimistic rollups, a long waiting period was necessary when withdrawing assets from Layer 2 to Layer 1, but Minitswap combines IBC-based transfers and automatic swaps to provide a user experience that processes asset withdrawals within seconds.

When moving assets from rollups to Layer 1, users can receive IbcOpINIT through Minitswap, which operates based on a stable swap structure between INIT and IbcOpINIT, and immediately exchange it for INIT. Here, IbcOpINIT is a bridged asset created when INIT moves to a rollup through the optimistic bridge and then returns to Layer 1 via IBC. Thanks to this structure, users can withdraw assets quickly and easily without the optimistic bridge's challenge period.

This structure applies equally when moving from Layer 1 to rollups. Users can exchange INIT for OpINIT or IbcOpINIT in Minitswap, and then immediately receive the asset on the rollup. This enables near real-time asset movement in both deposit and withdrawal directions.

At the core of Minitswap is the Peg Keeper, a stabilization mechanism that maintains the exchange ratio of the pool close to 1:1. If a surge in withdrawal demand creates an excess of IbcOpINIT and a shortage of INIT in the Minitswap pool, the Peg Keeper supplies INIT and absorbs IbcOpINIT to balance the pool. The accumulated IbcOpINIT is then returned to its original rollup via IBC, and then reclaimed as INIT through the rollup's bridge. Ultimately, the Peg Keeper endures the challenge period on behalf of users and provides immediate liquidity.

2.3.3 Initia DEX

Source: Initia

Finally, Initia DEX is the interface where end users perform liquidity provision and swaps, with all trading flows taking place through it—from deposits based on the Enshrined Liquidity mechanism to deposits and withdrawals utilizing Minitswap pools. It supports a wide range of transactions from general trades to cross-rollup transactions through Balancer-style weighted pools and stable swap pool structures borrowed from Curve.

Consequently, Initia establishes a liquidity foundation through Enshrined Liquidity, implements real-time asset movement through Minitswap, and secures smooth user experience and ecosystem connectivity by centralizing all liquidity flows around Initia DEX.

This Liquidity Stack is not simply a structure where individual liquidity modules are listed, but a design made possible by Initia Layer 1 functioning as an 'orchestration layer' that organically connects and coordinates each component from the center. In other words, in the Initia ecosystem, Layer 1 serves as the base layer of liquidity acquisition, the hub of asset movement between layers, and the contact point of the user interface, functioning as the central axis of liquidity orchestration.

3. Interwoven Rollups

At Layer 2, Interwoven Rollups function like a “Full-Stack App”. Initia's definition of a full-stack app refers to an appchain structure where infrastructure and execution environment are optimized for a specific app. For example, developers can customize infrastructure to maximize app performance and user experience, such as adjusting transaction ordering to internalize MEV for DeFi apps, or including TEE-based computation results in rollup state updates to transparently verify AI inference results.

At the foundation of the full-stack app is Initia's integrated rollup framework, the Interwoven Stack. This allows developers to easily build and deploy app-dedicated rollups without constructing complex infrastructure separately. Previously, developers had to directly integrate various external components to compose a rollup environment, but the Interwoven Stack provides a multi-VM (EVM, MoveVM, WasmVM) compatible framework and core infrastructure such as DA, oracles, bridges, and explorers by default. This creates an environment where developers can focus on implementing core services without the burden of technology selection.

In particular, the Interwoven Stack greatly expands the possibilities of full-stack app development by providing a flexible execution environment not tied to a specific VM. For example, if assets need to be managed more sophisticatedly as resources directly owned by addresses (Resource-oriented model) rather than simple numerical values (Account-Balance model), MoveVM can be chosen to represent asset states three-dimensionally. Conversely, if developer accessibility is important for an app, choosing EVM, which can utilize Solidity-based vast development tools and references, may be more reasonable.

On top of this flexible development environment, full-stack apps—Interwoven Rollups—are driving the expansion of the Initia ecosystem. Currently, about 20 rollups have been onboarded and are accelerating service launches across various domains. In the following sections, we'll examine the Interwoven Rollups that make up the Initia ecosystem in detail, focusing on four key areas (DeFi, gaming, NFTs, AI).

3.1 DeFi

DeFi is one of the most notable verticals in the Initia ecosystem. This is because mechanisms that can directly combine with DeFi, such as Enshrined Liquidity and VIP, are built into the chain level.

For example, in the case of Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs), LP rewards from Enshrined Liquidity accumulate in yields in addition to basic staking rewards. LSTs can also be linked to activities in rollups that provide VIP incentives to further maximize yield returns. As we'll examine in detail later, the distribution ratio of VIP incentives is adjusted according to stakers' gauge voting results. Consequently, formulating and adjusting DeFi strategies based on incentive flows that vary each epoch creates Initia's unique DeFi game.

This design of Initia, where chain-level mechanisms and DeFi are tightly combined, provides a foundation that promotes the emergence of various types of DeFi apps. For instance, bribe apps that implement incentive competition using voting power, LP derivatives that optimize liquidity provision, and synthetic asset vaults that integrate various interest income sources can implement more sophisticated and highly profitable strategies on Initia's economic structure. This background well illustrates the potential for Initia to expand as a DeFi hub.

In the next section, we'll examine how DeFi-centric Interwoven Rollups are developing in the Initia ecosystem.

3.1.1 Echelon - Move-based money market appchain with rehypothecation

Echelon is a Move-based lending protocol planning to build a lending-specialized Interwoven Rollup utilizing the MoveVM-compatible Interwoven Stack. Echelon's distinctive feature is its rehypothecation functionality, which generates additional returns by reinvesting collateral assets. In other words, users can secure not only interest income on deposited assets but also higher deposit rates and collateral efficiency through the protocol's own staking and external DeFi integration.

Currently deployed as a single app on Aptos, Echelon is expected to enhance the interconnectedness of liquidity across multiple chains through a MoveVM-based rollup, promoting liquidity movement in the Initia ecosystem. Additionally, Echelon is already closely collaborating with the Ethena protocol in terms of incentives, demonstrating the potential for high synergy when combined with sUSDe, which is scheduled to be integrated into Initia. Echelon raised $3.5M in investment funds through a seed round led by Amber Group, with participation from Cypher Capital, Laser Digital, and others.

3.1.2 Inertia - Lending appchain supporting borrowing with restaking token as collateral

Source: Inertia

Inertia is a modular lending rollup combining restaking tokens (LRTs) and lending functions, enabling users to issue LRTs by restaking INIT and Celestia's TIA, then use them as collateral for loans and leveraged farming. For example, when users stake INIT tokens, they receive an equal amount of nINIT, which can be used as collateral to borrow additional assets or utilize in farming strategies.

Inertia is designed with a dual structure that utilizes both Initia Layer 1 smart contracts and a dedicated rollup. On Layer 1, a liquid staking module is deployed that issues LRTs with a 1:1 exchange rate for the underlying asset, while on the Inertia rollup, a lending engine and yield farming functions are implemented. With this structure, Inertia is expected to play a key role in promoting integration between DeFi protocols through a money lego centered around LRTs and the lending engine.

3.1.3 Contro - Debate market appchain based on GLOB (Gradual Limit Order Book)

Contro is a debate platform rollup combining arguments and markets, where users can debate various topics while simultaneously betting real stakes on the outcomes. In this structure, the more quality opinions one presents, the more both influence on the platform and asset value increase. Through this 'Skin in the Game' approach to argumentation, Contro aims to build a new communication space where opinions become markets and persuasiveness is evaluated through asset value.

To implement this, Contro has introduced GLOB (Gradual Limit Order Book) as an orderbook trading mechanism. Unlike conventional instantaneous matching methods, GLOB operates by gradually filling orders over a certain period of time. In this structure, executing trades quickly results in price disadvantages, while executing slowly yields more favorable prices. Through this, Contro mitigates structural issues such as frontrunning, sandwich attacks, and slippage, enabling stable trading even in niche markets with thin liquidity.

3.1.4 Embr - Gamified meme coin launchpad appchain based on competition

Embr is an Interwoven Rollup specialized in meme coin creation and trading, providing a meme coin launchpad that combines competition-based gamification structures. In Embr, new meme coins are issued with the same market capitalization and liquidity lockup conditions, starting a competition with a metric called 'Flame'. Each community competes based on various indicators such as trading volume, number of holders, and meme content activity, undergoing periodic evaluations where top tokens 'graduate' and bottom tokens perish.

Embr's evaluation module collects on-chain data to produce indicators such as trading volume, holder dispersion, price volatility, and community activity, determining rankings according to a scoring algorithm. The platform's base currency is its own token, $EMBR, with all meme coins on the Embr chain paired with $EMBR, and users can stake $EMBR on meme coins they support to increase flame intensity.

The goal is to create a fairer meme coin ecosystem where community activity and self-sustainability, rather than simple price speculation, determine the success or failure of meme coins. Embr raised $1.8 million in a seed round led by Robot Ventures and Lattice Fund, with participation from TempleDAO and other notable investors.

3.1.5 MilkyWay - Liquid staking and restaking hub appchain for yield optimization

Source: MilkyWay

MilkyWay is a liquid staking hub for the modular ecosystem, set to be built on Initia as an Interwoven Rollup. Users can deposit Celestia's TIA or Initia's INIT and utilize the corresponding liquid tokens such as milkTIA or milkINIT to participate in DeFi strategies. Assets deposited through MilkyWay are delegated to validators, and users receive milkTokens issued at a 1:1 ratio. Additionally, MilkyWay's auto-compounding feature can maximize staking returns on the underlying assets.

MilkyWay also provides restaking functionality, reallocating deposited staking assets to secure other chains, implementing shared security and offering a dual-yield structure for stakers. For this purpose, it is designed to enable staking across multiple chains without going through complex processes by optimizing zero-gas environments and IBC-based cross-chain communication. Ultimately, it aims to be a platform for both builders seeking to implement shared security and stakers pursuing yield optimization. In terms of investment, MilkyWay raised $5M in a seed round led by Polychain and YZi Labs in November 2024, and additionally raised $1M through the Echo platform.

3.1.6 Rave - Perpetual futures appchain supporting leveraged trading with alt assets as collateral through a Quanto structure

Rave is an Interwoven Rollup where users can trade futures of major assets using any token as collateral. This allows users to bet on price movements of assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum without selling their altcoin holdings. For example, a user can open a futures position on BTC or ETH using altcoins like DOGE as margin collateral.

In this setup, profits and losses are settled in the collateral asset's units, and liquidations don't occur due to the collateral asset's value decline. For instance, if a user opens a 10x long position on BTC using DOGE as collateral, the position is not forcibly liquidated even if the DOGE price falls by half. The user simply settles profits or losses from BTC price movements, denominated in DOGE. Rave implements this structure through the concept of "Quanto" futures, enabling futures trading independent of collateral volatility by separating the currency units of collateral assets and traded assets.

Rave combines the Enshrined Liquidity mechanism with LST protocols to provide strong interconnectedness in Initia's DeFi ecosystem. For example, users can use various LSTs such as milkINIT or nINIT as collateral to open leveraged long or short positions in the BTC/USDC market. This enables a complex income structure that includes LP fees, staking rewards, and derivatives trading profits.

3.1.7 Blackwing - Margin trading appchain supporting leveraged trading without liquidation

Blackwing is a modular margin trading appchain based on the Initia Interwoven Stack, aiming to implement leveraged trading without liquidation. It has introduced the Limitless Pool liquidity pool mechanism to address the liquidation risks and oracle manipulation issues of existing perpetual futures trading. This structure converts liquidity providers' shares into collateral, allowing any asset, including long-tail assets, to be used as collateral, and ensures that positions aren't liquidated regardless of collateral asset price fluctuations, supporting smooth leveraged trading of assets from any chain. Blackwing completed a $4.5M seed round of funding from Hashed and gumi Cryptos Capital, among others.

3.2 Gaming

Gaming is one of the areas that most clearly showcases the advantages of appchains, as Interwoven Rollups can provide stable game services on independent execution environments without performance degradation due to network congestion.

Notably, most of the currently released gaming rollups are implemented as fully onchain games, actively utilizing these characteristics. Unlike the traditional approach where most in-game interactions are processed off-chain and only ownership is settled on-chain, fully onchain games store all game logs directly on-chain, giving users more complete ownership and greatly enhancing the transparency and integrity of game data.

Gaming rollups attract general user influx through low entry barriers and flexible reward structures, potentially serving as a main growth driver for the Initia ecosystem. In the next section, we'll examine how gaming-centric Interwoven Rollups are developing in the Initia ecosystem.

3.2.1 Civitia - Onchain strategic simulation appchain in Monopoly style

Source: X(@civitiaorg)

Civitia is a gaming Interwoven Rollup that powers a Monopoly-style onchain strategy simulation game, where players socially and economically interact to acquire and compete over cities. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where civilization has collapsed, players work to rebuild urban societies. They do so while engaging in an economic system that combines elements of capitalism, such as free market dynamics and supply-and-demand pricing, with aspects of socialism, including wealth taxes and rent control. This creates a compact simulation of real-world socioeconomic systems.

Players roll dice while holding INIT tokens to move across the Civitia game board. When landing on a city, they can either mint a unit of that city or pay rent if it is already owned by another player. A city unit represents a share of the rent revenue generated in that city. Units can be minted using INIT and burned at any time in exchange for INIT at the current price. The unit price changes according to a linear bonding curve that reflects minting, buying and burning activity. All player actions, including movement, minting, and rent payments, are automatically executed and recorded onchain using smart contracts. This ensures a fully transparent and tamper-resistant gameplay experience.

3.2.2 Yominet - Fully onchain idle MMORPG appchain where players collect, grow, and battle with NFT-based digital pets called Kamis.

Source: X(@hammertoesknows)

Yominet is an Interwoven Rollup built to run Kamigotchi, a fully onchain idle MMORPG where players collect and grow digital pets called Kamis. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, players interact with the environment by moving across tiles, harvesting resources, minting Kamis from a gacha-style vending machine, completing quests, and engaging in PvP battles—either in cooperation or competition with others.

A defining feature of Kamigotchi is that all in-game assets are issued as NFTs. Every action is processed by smart contracts using the MUD onchain game engine. This includes tile movement, harvesting, Kami minting, quest outcomes, and PvP results. All gameplay logic is transparently executed and stored onchain.

As a fully onchain game, Kamigotchi showcases the flexibility and scalability of appchains capable of handling high-frequency transactions without network congestion. After receiving strong feedback during its testnet phase, Kamigotchi raised $1.3M in a seed round led by Seed Club Ventures and Double Peak Group in March 2024, and secured additional funding through the Echo platform.

3.2.3 Battle for Blockchain (BFB) – Onchain Strategy Game Appchain of the Auto-Battler Genre

Source: Battle for Blockchain

Battle for Blockchain (BFB) is a strategy gaming appchain built on an EVM-based Interwoven Rollup. It is an MMO auto-battler where players strategically deploy units with distinct attributes to reduce the opponent’s health to zero through automated combat. Core game mechanics such as movement, conquest, and battle resolution are executed entirely through smart contracts. The game’s progression is synchronized with block time, and each turn concludes at regular intervals. Once all player actions are collected, the turn is finalized and processed by a smart contract functioning as the "Turn Master," allowing for real-time synchronization in a fully onchain, tamper-resistant environment.

BFB also integrates the VIP system deeply into its gameplay. Rather than rewarding players merely for time spent or capital committed, the system is designed to incentivize strategic decision-making and performance. VIP rewards are allocated based on measurable KPIs such as unit deployment efficiency, the relative size of defeated treasuries, and siege victory points. These metrics reflect how effectively players manage resources and execute strategy.

By combining the core mechanics of an auto-battler with a reward system that ties success directly to strategic play, BFB delivers a distinct experience from conventional onchain games. This design is expected to establish BFB as one of the killer gaming appchains within the Initia ecosystem.

3.3 NFT

NFT collections such as Raccoons and Tuzi already symbolize the cultural identity of the Initia community, while others like Celestine Sloth function as cultural mediators showing the connectivity between the Cosmos ecosystem and Initia. This demonstrates how NFTs serve as key tools forming community narratives and identity beyond simple assets.

However, NFTs are simultaneously notorious for causing network overload. A notable example occurred during NFT Summer when Yuga Labs' Otherside minting attracted numerous users, causing gas fees to exceed $5K. While technical alternatives like transaction parallel processing have been suggested, NFT minting structurally makes parallel processing difficult because multiple transactions affecting the same state values occur simultaneously.

Initia's appchain structure can be presented as an alternative to these structural constraints. NFT-specialized rollups are built in independent execution environments, so traffic is distributed and transaction bottlenecks during minting don't affect the entire network. Furthermore, rollups can customize block processing methods, gas policies, fee structures, etc., to flexibly implement user experience improvements like minting optimization at the chain level.

Thus, NFTs are taking their place as a major pillar constituting the Initia ecosystem, both symbolizing the community's cultural identity and exemplifying representative cases of full-stack apps.

The next section examines how NFT-centric Interwoven Rollups are developing in the Initia ecosystem.

3.3.1 Lazychain - Consumer appchain derived from Sloth NFTs

Source: X(@Lazy_chain)

Lazychain is an appchain derived from Celestia's representative NFT collection, the Celestine Sloth Society, and will be built as an EVM-based Interwoven Rollup. Sloth NFT was inspired by Celestia's initial name, "LazyLedger," and was issued on Stargaze in April 2024, subsequently growing into one of the representative communities in the Cosmos ecosystem.

Proposed from this community, Lazychain aims to provide consumer applications such as social platforms, games, and community services by implementing it as Initia's Interwoven Rollup. Lazychain is expected to serve as a cultural bridge between the Celestia community and the Initia ecosystem, playing an important role in connecting the communities of both ecosystems.

3.3.2 Zaar - Cultural hub appchain for NFTs and degen culture

Zaar is an EVM-based Interwoven Rollup aspiring to be a cultural hub chain integrating NFTs, consumer apps, and degen culture in the Initia ecosystem. It integrates NFTs and meme tokens issued across various rollups and provides functionality to bring and trade NFTs from external chains such as Ethereum, Solana, and Cosmos to Zaar through a multichain NFT bridge module. Additionally, it plans to enhance the NFT trading experience by implementing an NFT trading environment that blends orderbook and AMM structures.

Furthermore, Zaar offers various games of chance, allowing users to participate in simple games like coin flipping while enhancing their interaction with the Interwoven economy. For example, in games like 'Zaar Flip,' users can place probabilistic bets based on the outcome of a coin flip or stake INIT tokens to share in the profits generated from other participants' bets. Through this, Zaar is expected to play a key role as a cultural hub within the Initia ecosystem, serving as an appchain that encompasses NFTs, meme tokens, and other consumer apps.

3.3.3 Intergaze - Creator-friendly NFT marketplace appchain

Source: Intergaze

Intergaze is a creator-centric Interwoven Rollup developed by Stargaze, the NFT marketplace in the Cosmos ecosystem, in collaboration with Initia. It offers a comprehensive NFT market environment—including minting, transfers, and trading—and is designed as an extended functionality of Stargaze's launchpad. This enables creators to mint and distribute NFTs with ease. A limited collection of 10,000 'Jolly Jennies' was launched on the testnet and received positive community feedback.

In particular, Intergaze is designed as an expanded structure of Stargaze's existing launchpad functionality. Its launchpad includes a tamper-proof random minting feature, providing a fair distribution environment during collection minting. Moreover, NFTs minted on Intergaze can be transferred to the Stargaze mainnet, Initia Layer 1, and other external chains via IBC, offering seamless compatibility with other Interwoven Rollups. Ultimately, Intergaze aims to be a platform where anyone can easily deploy NFTs and distribute them cross-chain, and is expected to drive the expansion of the NFT vertical within the Initia ecosystem.

3.4 AI

The combination of AI and crypto has now moved beyond the initial hype stage based on short-term interest or speculative demand, entering a period of seeking substantive utility. Moving beyond simple text generation tools, practical use cases are emerging, such as autonomously readjusting portfolios, utilizing blockchain to transparently verify inference processes, and designing token incentive models to optimize data learning.

Within this trend, Initia's appchains are also undertaking attempts aimed at the successful combination of AI and crypto. The next section examines how AI-centric Interwoven Rollups are developing in the Initia ecosystem.

3.4.1 Rena - Rena: AI-specific appchain with TEE-based inference verification middleware (TrustEE)

Rena is a TEE-based data rollup that supports AI model outputs to be verified in a trustworthy manner. Its core, TrustEE, provides a middleware layer that securely performs AI inference computations in a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and submits the results in a verifiable form onchain. Rena aims to lower the entry barriers to TEE utilization, supporting both low-level code and no-code frameworks to allow anyone to easily implement verifiable AI.

Rena Labs' platform, which was previously operated on an off-chain basis, is transitioning to a data-specialized rollup on Initia's Interwoven Stack to secure onchain interoperability and verification reliability. Rena's most significant feature is the integration of rollup state output procedures with TEE, allowing AI computation results to be directly recorded onchain. For example, in AI learning using medical data, a hash value proving that the data was securely processed within TEE is recorded onchain. This enables Rena to ensure the integrity of AI outputs across the Initia ecosystem. In 2024, Rena raised $3.3M in a pre-seed round led by Lightspeed Faction and Paper Ventures, with Eterna Capital, Lyrik Ventures, Mapleblock, Selini, and Keyrock participating as major investors.

3.4.2 Infinity Ground - Game engine appchain providing an Agentic IDE for AI-driven game creation

Source: Infinity Ground

Infinity Ground is an AI game engine platform that supports anyone to easily generate AI-based game content through an Agent IDE and modular development kit (IDK), having built its own ING rollup network utilizing the Interwoven Stack.

Among Infinity Ground's core technologies, the RAG engine generates personalized narratives based on past data from game players, while the Creator Copilot provides AI-assisted functions supporting developers throughout the development cycle from prompt generation to debugging. Through this development environment, Infinity Ground aims to lower the entry barrier for AI-driven game development and provide players with a new form of gaming experience incorporating generative AI functions.

Infinity Ground is expected to play a key role as an AI game hub in the Initia ecosystem, creating synergy with other gaming rollups in terms of development compatibility. It also plans to support a multichain environment with external chains such as Base and BNB, utilizing Initia's interoperability infrastructure. In terms of investment, it completed a $2M funding round led by Animoca Brands, MH Ventures, and KuCoin Ventures in February 2025, with investors from the gaming and entertainment sectors such as PAKA and MARBLEX participating in the round.

3.4.3 Lunch - DeFAI appchain where AI agents autonomously execute DeFi strategies

Source: Lunch

Lunch is a DeFAI-specialized Interwoven Rollup providing AI-based automated asset management. Users can explore and automatically execute various DeFi earning opportunities through AI agents without directly setting up complex manual strategies. At the center of Lunch is an autonomous farming agent called EGGi, which analyzes users' holdings, risk preferences, target returns, etc., to design optimal earning strategies and autonomously perform onchain tasks such as swaps, staking, and deposits/withdrawals. By utilizing multichain liquidity, it provides optimized yield routes not limited to specific chains, allowing users to experience sophisticated earning strategies without complex setup.

Lunch adopted Initia's Interwoven Rollup as the foundation for implementing this DeFAI. This is because the Initia ecosystem provides ideal infrastructure for sophisticated DeFi strategies, including native USDC support, seamless multichain compatibility, Enshrined Liquidity, and VIP incentives. In particular, since Initia offers various DeFi strategies, there exists a learning curve requiring understanding of complex structures, and Lunch functions as a UX layer that simplifies user experience by handling this complexity on behalf of users. This positions Lunch to potentially become a frontend for DeFi strategy execution and a core interface for AI utilization within the Initia ecosystem.

4. Interwoven Components: Three Connectivity Linking Initia

Currently, Initia has 16 appchains, but if thousands of appchains exist on Initia in the future, their economic structures, liquidity, and user experiences are all highly likely to become fragmented. The architecture Initia has built as the final pillar to realize an interconnected multichain ecosystem is the Interwoven Components. These play the key role of making Layer 1 and Interwoven Rollups an integrated ecosystem in terms of economy, liquidity, and products.

1. Economic Connection: VIP is Initia's core pillar economically connecting Layer 1 and Interwoven Rollups. Layer 1 provides incentives that rollups can distribute to users to promote rollup growth, leading the development of rollups and steady user retention to ultimately result in the growth of the entire ecosystem.

2. Chain Connection: Modular blockchain structures are advantageous for parallel scaling, but they create disconnected economies due to fragmented liquidity and introduce complexity to user experience due to repeated bridge utilization. Therefore, interoperability infrastructure enabling smooth asset movement between chains is a key component in creating Initia's integrated user experience.

3. Product Connection: Initia is essentially a collection of various appchains, with the goal of building an interconnected ecosystem of thousands of appchains under the Interwoven economy in the future. At that point, connecting appchains with a consistent UI/UX is as important a challenge as the backend. To this end, Initia supports seamless movement between appchains in terms of user experience through meticulously designed frontends.

In the following sections, let's examine in detail which Interwoven Components are interconnecting the Initia ecosystem.

4.1 Economic Connectivity: VIP

4.1.1 VIP Principle

Building a multichain ecosystem is achieved not only through technology but also through value coordination. Even if liquidity or frontend are connected, if incentives are disconnected, each layer will inevitably be indifferent to each other's growth. VIP was introduced to address this, aligning incentives between Layer 1 and Interwoven Rollups, thereby promoting growth across the ecosystem.

VIP is an incentive mechanism that provides INIT rewards to rollups and users for ecosystem participation at the chain level, with 25% of INIT's genesis supply allocated to VIP. This INIT is distributed to eligible Interwoven Rollups and users every two weeks in epoch units.

VIP rewards are distributed through two pools:

1. Balance Pool: Rewards $esINIT in proportion to the $INIT bridged to a rollup relative to the total bridged across all rollups.

2. Weight Pool: Stakers conduct governance votes each epoch period on how much VIP reward to allocate to rollups, determining the ratio of INIT distributed to each rollup based on the results. This structure serves as a mechanism to create utility for INIT, encouraging stakers' governance participation and creating political-economic dynamics such as bribe incentives.

The core of VIP isn't simply providing incentives, but focuses on how those incentives are distributed. Two VIP mechanisms exemplify this approach.

First, VIP rewards are distributed according to customized KPI criteria set by rollups based on user behavior. Fundamentally, VIP rewards aren't distributed directly to users, but are redistributed by rollups according to KPI. For example, rollups can set KPIs for user behaviors necessary for rollup growth, such as game play participation or computing power contribution. This enables flexible incentive design aligned with the rollup's growth strategy, rather than fixed numerical criteria like trading volume or deposit size.

Second, user VIP rewards are distributed as escrow INIT (esINIT), which must be continually participated in rollups according to the VIP scoring system or deposited in Enshrined Liquidity to liquidate. This is designed to prevent users' short-term departure and promote rollup growth based on steady retention.

Ultimately, VIP more clearly aligns incentives between Layer 1, rollups, and users in a virtuous cycle structure, ensuring that the incentives of all participants ultimately converge at a single intersection point for ecosystem growth.

4.1.2 Cabal - Bribe protocol for VIP voting power and yield optimization

Cabal is a bribe protocol optimizing voting power and interest income used in the VIP weight pool, built on Initia Layer 1. In Cabal, users can receive xINIT or Cabal LP tokens by staking INIT or depositing Enshrined Liquidity LP positions. This allows users to continue DeFi participation while maintaining deposit positions, and Cabal optimizes rewards provided to users by utilizing various income sources such as staking rewards or LP fees through user-deposited assets.

Cabal serves as a governance marketplace intervening in Initia's VIP reward flow, similar to Yearn Finance or Votium during the DeFi summer's Curve wars. Since VIP reward distribution is determined by INIT stakers' gauge voting, Cabal induces bribe competition between rollups through its voting power. For instance, users receive xINIT based on their INIT, and Cabal gains governance power from securing INIT. Therefore, rollups provide bribes to Cabal to secure its governance power and maximize VIP rewards, and Cabal distributes received bribes to xINIT holders.

In this way, Cabal maximizes participants' returns by integrating fragmented benefits in the VIP mechanism into a single protocol, forming an additional economic layer on top of VIP to promote dynamic interaction between rollups. Consequently, Cabal is expected to become one of the most important applications by stimulating economic activity across the ecosystem and encouraging decentralized governance participation. On the investment side, it raised $3M in seed funding from Hack VC, Delphi Digital, Nascent, and others in February 2025.

4.2 Chain Connectivity: Interoperability Infrastructure

Initia prevents liquidity fragmentation by utilizing an appropriate combination of interoperability infrastructure optimized according to chain type to enable asset movement between Layer 1, Interwoven Rollups, and external chains.

4.2.1 IBC: Connecting Rollups & Cosmos Chains

Ethereum → (CCTP) → Cosmos Chain → (IBC) → Initia Layer 1 → (Swap) → Initia DEX

Initia Layer 1 natively supports IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication) as it's built on the Cosmos SDK, and is utilized for interconnecting Interwoven Rollups and external Cosmos chains. All rollups are connected to Initia Layer 1 via IBC channels, enabling immediate message and asset transfers through separate IBC relayers. This allows Initia to seamlessly connect not only between internal rollups but also with the entire Cosmos ecosystem.

For example, a user wanting to swap USDC on Ethereum for INIT on Initia would move assets through the following path: To swap Ethereum's USDC for INIT, USDC is transferred to a Cosmos chain via CCTP, then delivered to Initia Layer 1 via IBC, and finally exchanged for INIT on the Initia DEX. Consequently, Initia Layer 1 serves as a hub for token movement between external Cosmos chains and Interwoven Rollups, mediated by IBC.

4.2.2 LayerZero: Connecting EVM Chains

Optimism L2 → (LayerZero) → Initia Layer 1 → (IBC) → Echelon

Initia secures interoperability between Initia Layer 1 and EVM-series chains by integrating LayerZero's OFT (Omnichain Fungible Token) protocol. The Initia team is co-developing a Cosmos-specific messaging standard with LayerZero Labs, implemented as a Cosmos module to support LayerZero omnichain messaging on Cosmos chains.

For example, a user request to utilize ETH held on Optimism as collateral in Echelon (an Interwoven Rollup) would move assets through the following path: ETH from Optimism is transferred to Initia Layer 1 through LayerZero's omnichain messaging, then delivered to Echelon via IBC. Users can perform this entire process in an automated way through the Skip Go routing engine, with the most efficient bridging path automatically selected, simplifying the user experience.

4.3 Product Connectivity: Interwoven UI/UX

“Just like the chains on Initia—modular, autonomous, but connected—each element on the page serves a specific role. Nothing is extraneous. Everything exists in harmony.” — Dali, Initia Head of Design

The multichain ecosystem that Initia is building isn't simply a structure accommodating many appchains, but aspires to consistency as an integrated ecosystem. Therefore, even if appchains expand to thousands, it's important that users perceive all these chains as existing within a single organic flow. To this end, Initia designs a structure where each appchain operates autonomously yet remains interconnected within a consistent UI/UX in terms of product connection. This allows users to navigate through interfaces of various appchains naturally, experiencing them as if on a single continuous journey.

Source: Initia

This user experience philosophy is consistently reflected throughout Initia's product design. For instance, Initia's landing page is intentionally designed as a single scrollless structure, allowing users to quickly reach necessary information and intuitively perform desired actions from anywhere. This isn't merely visual aesthetics but a UX approach to implement intuitive user flow in an ecosystem where numerous appchains coexist. Users can explore and execute various apps within a single screen without the hassle of scrolling multiple times or navigating between pages, similar to an app store, and through this process, each appchain is guided to be perceived as part of an integrated ecosystem.

Source: Initia

Additionally, Initia recently undertook a major transition from using dedicated wallet structures to a "Bring Your Own Wallet" approach where users can connect and use their existing wallets. While dedicated wallets can provide complete UX control in terms of UI consistency and function integration, Initia's philosophy lies in 'orchestration' rather than 'control.' Users can interact with appchains immediately using familiar wallets without installing separate wallets or transferring assets, effectively lowering entry barriers. Moreover, since Initia is a structure where appchains sharing user bases with external ecosystems like EVM and IBC coexist, forcing dedicated wallets could act as an entry barrier not only for users but also for appchains. In this respect, the decision to allow continued use of existing wallets holds meaning beyond simple convenience, representing an orchestrational UX strategy to practice the openness and connectivity that Initia aspires to.

Source: Minity

Going further, Initia is actively onboarding apps like Minity, a dedicated dashboard for Interwoven Rollups, beyond improving its own interface. Minity visualizes each rollup's TVL, user asset status, VIP distribution amounts, etc., through an intuitive UI, reducing fragmentation in the multichain environment from a UI/UX and providing an integrated experience from a user's viewpoint.

In short, the frontend experience that users directly face is as important an element as block generation speed or security, but such elements are often overlooked in technology-centric discussions. Initia continuously improves frontend design optimized for multichain networks and focusing on making user experiences seamless in terms of product connectivity. Consequently, Initia's product connectivity functions as the final connector that brings together economic incentives and technical interoperability, unifying them at the user experience level.

5. Looking Ahead: Can the Multichain Garden of Eden be Realized?

From the perspective of new blockchains, competing with existing chains like Ethereum, Solana, and Sui that have built user bases and dapp ecosystems over years is becoming increasingly difficult. While technical advantages like block processing speed still leave room for development potential, they no longer provide decisive competitiveness at a point where the overall level has become standardized upward.

Growth strategies through killer dapps also have limitations. Dapps capable of driving independent growth tend to demand autonomy in architectural design and value acquisition structures. This ultimately increases the likelihood of departing from Layer 1 to transition to independent chains, creating a paradox where dapp departure even disperses the growth drivers of existing ecosystems.

A new approach gaining attention in this context is incentive structures designed at the chain level. Berachain's PoL and Sonic's Sonic Points & Gem, both launching mainnet ahead, take strategies that provide incentives for ecosystem participation and form high-APY yield games where various DeFi protocols combine on top of them. In fact, Berachain and Sonic are showing significant momentum in terms of ecosystem activation, which can be interpreted as precedent cases where chain-level incentives serve as effective catalysts for ecosystem activation.

In this Layer 1 phase, Initia presents a differentiated approach reflecting both the structural limitations and possibilities demonstrated by existing chains. Unlike the existing model where dapps leave the ecosystem, Initia is fundamentally designed to ensure that each app is guaranteed autonomy and scalability within an independent chain environment.

Furthermore, rather than emphasizing technical advantages alone, it provides clear incentives for users and apps to choose Initia through the chain-level incentive, VIP. In particular, mechanisms constituting VIP, such as escrow INIT and KPI-based reward design, present sophisticated mechanism design to ensure that incentives lead to substantive ecosystem growth rather than zero-sum competition over limited resources. In this way, Initia presents a new model that balances the practical needs of apps and users in both chain architecture and incentive structure aspects.

Ultimately, quality appchain onboarding acts as a key variable for this model to work significantly. Initia has already onboarded a total of 16 appchains at the point of approaching mainnet launch, and these appchains are closely linked to Initia's unique ecosystem expansion strategy. There are DeFi appchains with high compatibility with VIP (Inertia, MilkyWay, Cabal, etc.) and gaming appchains (Yominet, BFB, Civitia, etc.) that actively utilize the advantages of appchains by running completely onchain. Moreover, as external DeFi protocol assets such as Ethena's sUSDe and Etherfi's weETH are onboarded based on LayerZero OFT, they are expected to enhance capital efficiency in the Interwoven economy when combined with the Enshrined Liquidity structure.

Now only one question remains. Can Initia truly realize its vision of a "Multichain Garden of Eden"? When Layer 1's orchestration role, appchain diversity, and user immersion based on incentives and differentiated appchain experiences are organically connected, we can provide a clearer answer to that question.