Offchain Labs debuts 'Onchain Labs' program to support Arbitrum application developers

Offchain Labs, the core developer of Ethereum Layer 2 Arbitrum, has introduced the Onchain Labs initiative, which is focused on developing new applications on the chain.

The initiative, launched in partnership with the Arbitrum Foundation, aims to strengthen the application layer on Arbitrum by providing technical and go-to-market support to early-stage developers and teams — leveraging Arbitrum's sub-second block times and developer compatibility via Stylus .

Offchain Labs said it will offer collaboration from ideation through launch, including strategic guidance and product development support.

It further noted that only projects that commit to fair and community-aligned launches will be supported in contrast to extractive ecosystem models. However, it cautioned that projects under Onchain Labs could be experimental.

The team will announce the first Onchain Labs-supported project soon. Offchain Labs launched Arbitrum One in 2021 and has since developed technologies such as the AnyTrust chain, Orbit for permissionless chain deployment, and the Universal Intents Engine. It acquired Prysm in 2022 and expanded its partner studio and venture arm, Tandem.

Ongoing efforts include increasing throughput via an alternative client, integrating zero-knowledge proofs, and improving the user experience for Ethereum Layer 2 dapps.

In 2021, the firm raised $120 million in a Series B funding round.

Recently, the firm announced a “strategic purchase plan” to add ARB, the native token of the Arbitrum ecosystem, to its treasury.