Block Street Builds Express Lane for On-Chain Stocks with $11.5M Boost

Block Street has secured a $11.5 million strategic funding round led by Hack VC, with participation from Generative Venture, DWF Labs, and executives from Jane Street and Point72. The startup aims to address inefficiencies in on-chain stock trading by developing an "execution layer" designed to replicate the speed and reliability of traditional markets. The platform, Aqua, leverages Monad's parallel EVM to execute trades via a request-for-quote (RFQ) model, where market makers compete to offer the best prices. Quotes are cryptographically signed and verified on-chain to prevent manipulation or latency.

A complementary component, Everst, introduces lending and liquidation tools tailored for tokenized equities, enabling users to borrow, short, or hedge assets while reducing "MEV leakage" and enhancing functionality beyond speculative use. Co-founder Hedy Wang emphasized that the system prioritizes infrastructure over applications, aligning with institutional expectations for settlement guarantees and low-latency execution.

The team, which includes veterans from Citadel, Point72, and Google, plans to launch on Monad later this year, with future expansion to Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Base as integrations mature. Transparency dashboards will compare the platform's performance against automated market-makers, aiming to demonstrate superior execution quality. This development aligns with growing interest in tokenized assets, as projects like Ondo Finance and Kraken expand on-chain equity offerings.

Hack VC has emerged as a key player in crypto infrastructure, having led rounds for over 40 projects in 2025, including DeFi protocols and blockchain layer solutions. The firm's recent investments in tokenization platforms like Dinari and Superstate underscore its focus on bridging traditional finance and blockchain ecosystems.

Block Street's approach reflects broader industry efforts to address challenges such as MEV and cross-chain interoperability. For instance, smart contract-based solutions are being explored to synchronize transactions across blockchains, ensuring atomic execution in cross-chain MEV scenarios. While the tokenized stock market remains nascent-valued at $370 million as of mid-2025-experts project it could grow to $2 trillion by 2030.

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[1] Coindesk (https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/10/09/block-street-raises-usd11-5m-to-build-execution-layer-for-on-chain-stocks)

[7] The Block (https://www.theblock.co/post/369284/ondo-tokenized-stocks-etfs-ethereum-bnb-chain-solana)

[11] LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/navigating-atomic-realm-cross-chain-mev-coordination-blockchain-gary)