Jito Foundation just made a major move for Solana infrastructure. On Thursday, the foundation announced it has raised $50 million from Andreessen Horowitz’s (a16z) crypto division via a private token sale, signaling a strong vote of confidence in Jito’s vision and Solana’s growth potential.
Funding to Scale Solana’s Ecosystem
The capital will support Jito Network’s plans to:
- Scale infrastructure for high-speed Solana transactions
- Expand developer tools for building on Solana
- Advance liquid staking solutions optimized for Solana’s architecture
Following the announcement, JTO rose approximately 4%, trading at $1.17, reflecting market optimism around the investment.
Read More: Solana Memecoin Guide
Jito’s Core Products Power Solana
Jito operates two main products that anchor its ecosystem:
- Validator client – optimized for Solana’s high-speed network
- JitoSOL – a liquid staking token with over $3.2 billion market cap, letting users earn staking rewards while keeping their tokens liquid
This dual approach makes Jito a critical layer of Solana’s infrastructure, supporting both performance and liquidity for users and developers.
Strategic Partnership with a16z Crypto
Andreessen Horowitz, one of the largest venture firms in digital assets and an early Solana investor, received an unspecified token allotment in return for its investment.
The deal creates long-term alignment, fostering collaboration to drive Solana’s next growth phase.
This marks one of a16z’s largest crypto deployments in recent years, following $55 million in funding for LayerZero and $70 million for EigenLayer earlier in 2025.
Global Developer Expansion & New Infrastructure
Jito plans to expand open-source tooling, onboard new developers, and grow its global presence. The foundation will build on its latest infrastructure addition, the Block Assembly Marketplace (BAM), launched in September.
Brian Smith, President of Jito Foundation, emphasized that the initiative is about more than scaling—it’s about helping everyone on Solana extract more value while making the network transparent and programmable.
Ali Yahya, General Partner at a16z Crypto, added that Jito’s focus on foundational tools like BAM positions the network to lead Solana’s next wave of growth, signaling strong continued confidence in Solana’s DeFi ecosystem.
Bridging DeFi with Traditional Finance
The funding comes on the heels of a proposed VanEck JitoSOL ETF, filed with the SEC in August. If approved, this ETF would allow traditional investors regulated exposure to staking yields from JitoSOL, connecting decentralized finance with conventional markets and further boosting adoption.
The Bottom Line:
Jito isn’t just building infrastructure, it’s powering the next era of Solana innovation. With $50 million from a16z, expanded tools for developers, and liquid staking solutions like JitoSOL, the network is positioned to unlock more value, liquidity, and growth opportunities for both DeFi users and institutional investors.
