Crypto infrastructure startup Block Street has successfully raised $11.5 million in funding to develop what it describes as an "execution layer for on-chain stocks."
The investment round was spearheaded by Hack VC, with participation from Generative Venture, DWF Labs, and executives from prominent firms including Jane Street and Point72.
Block Street's core proposition is that trading tokenized stocks should match the speed and reliability of traditional financial markets.
Their proprietary system, Aqua, built on the Monad blockchain, employs a request-for-quote (RFQ) model where market makers compete to provide optimal pricing. All quotes are cryptographically signed and verified on-chain to prevent manipulation and eliminate delays.
The platform's complementary component, Everst, introduces specialized lending and liquidation tools specifically designed for tokenized equities, enabling users to borrow, short, or hedge these digital assets. According to the company, this architecture minimizes "MEV leakage" and enhances the utility of tokenized assets beyond mere speculation.
"Our focus is infrastructure development, not just application building," stated Hedy Wang, Block Street co-founder. "Monad's parallel EVM provides the settlement assurances and latency requirements institutions demand, while Aqua and Everst deliver best-execution capabilities and equity-specific risk management directly on-chain."
Block Street anticipates launching on Monad later this year, with planned expansions to Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Base as integration capabilities advance. The team, featuring veterans from Citadel, Point72, and Google, intends to publish transparent dashboards demonstrating their execution superiority compared to automated market makers.