DoubleZero ($2Z): the “faster internet” bet for crypto

Why I’m keeping a spot bag of $2Z in my portfolio.

Let’s be real: the crypto world is full of projects that promise the moon, but for every one that actually delivers something meaningful, dozens fade away. That’s why when I came across $2Z, something clicked. I mean — imagine telling yourself, “If only I bought this when it was $0.20… and years later it hits $100.” We all hear that story. Maybe this could be one of those.
Here’s why I believe that $2Z could be one of those early-“you don’t know about it yet” plays, and why I’ve parked a spot-bag of it.

Are we early? Yes—but infra takes time, and it’s still risky. I’m personally holding some spot because: (1) real pain point (latency) with paying customers (validators/traders), (2) credible founders with Solana/HFT DNA, and (3) regulatory clarity that’s rare in crypto.

Again—not financial advice.

What is $2Z / the DoubleZero Foundation project?

TL;DR: DoubleZero isn’t a typical L1/L2. It’s building a dedicated, high-performance network (think private fiber + smart routing + edge hardware) so blockchains and other distributed systems aren’t stuck on the slow, jittery public internet. Its token, $2Z, pays for connectivity, rewards contributors, and (over time) supports staking/security. If “speed + low latency” is the unlock for on-chain trading, block production, real-time oracles, and restaking—$2Z is a pure play on that plumbing.

What $2Z is actually building

Blockchains today route over the same congested pipes as your Netflix stream. DoubleZero’s pitch: independently contributed fiber links + an on-chain control plane + packet filtering/multicast at the edges = predictable, low-latency routes for validators and latency-sensitive apps. In other words, make networking the advantage—not the bottleneck.

The team’s public docs describe $2Z as the native token used to access connectivity, pay/measure performance to providers, and—eventually—be stakeable for security/delegation. It’s an SPL token on Solana (contract shown in their disclosures). Supply is 10B with inflation/burn mechanics designed around network integrity and security.

Who’s behind it (why I care)

• Founders: Austin Federa (ex-Solana Foundation strategy/comm), Andrew McConnell (ex-Jump; systems/networks), Mateo Ward (telecom/ultra-low-latency networking; Malbec Labs). COO: David McIntyre (ex-Solana Foundation FP&A). Core eng. contributors include Malbec Labs and Jump Crypto; contributions also from Anza and Jito Labs.
• Progress signal: Binance Research reports ~24.85% of Solana mainnet stake already operating on DoubleZero mainnet-beta as of Oct 3, 2025—i.e., real validators are testing/routing over it.
• Reg clarity: The SEC issued a rare “no-action” letter regarding DoubleZero’s token arrangements—unusual in crypto and a green flag on process. A cofounder also stated the foundation hasn’t sold any tokens post-launch, addressing circulating-supply concerns.

Why people would use it (the customer story)

• Validators & block producers: lower latency/jitter → better propagation, fairer participation, fewer duplicate/spam txs.
• On-chain trading & oracles: speed is literally P&L; microseconds matter. This is built by folks from HFT-grade networking.
• Restaking / real-time systems: predictable performance opens up designs that choke on today’s public internet.

Where to buy $2Z (as of today)

$2Z has gone live or announced on multiple majors: Binance (spot pairs incl. USDT/USDC/BNB/FDUSD/TRY; Seed Tag), Upbit (KRW/BTC/USDT), Backpack (spot & perps), and Coinbase has flagged an experimental listing. KuCoin/Kraken/Phemex also have buy pages/guides live. (Always check your region and fees.)

Token basics (publicly disclosed)

• Standard: SPL on Solana; use: access to bandwidth, pay contributors, future staking/delegation.
• Supply: 10B minted at launch; initial circulating ~3.47B (~34.7%); inflation to fund compute/security with counter-balancing burns for integrity. (Read their tokenomics PDF for the exact tables/locks.)

Funding & momentum

DoubleZero raised $28M at a ~$400M valuation earlier this year, with reporting that they sought additional strategic capital. That signals serious infra investors are paying attention.

Risks (read this)

New networks can miss adoption targets; token unlocks and foundation accounting can be confusing; and listings hype can fade fast. The project’s own disclosures emphasize that $2Z may never have value—treat this like any early-stage infra bet. DoubleZero