Ethlabs Launches With Support From Bitmine, SharpLink and Joe Lubin to Strengthen Ethereum Development

A new nonprofit research and development organization called Ethlabs has launched with backing from Ether treasury companies Bitmine and SharpLink, along with Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin and several longtime Ethereum contributors.

The initiative is focused on helping Ethereum handle growing demand from institutions as stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, investment funds and AI-driven commerce increasingly move on-chain. According to SharpLink, Ethlabs was created to ensure Ethereum can scale effectively while maintaining its role as a neutral and permissionless settlement network.

Former Ethereum Foundation Researchers Lead Ethlabs

Ethlabs was founded by former senior Ethereum Foundation researchers Ansgar Dietrichs, Barnabé Monnot, Caspar Schwarz-Schilling, Josh Rudolf and Julian Ma. The organization aims to provide a permanent home for Ethereum research and development with stable, long-term funding.

Joe Lubin said Ethereum is entering a new phase of growth and that independent organizations will play an important role in supporting the network’s future development and adoption.

Funding Concerns Grow Around Ethereum Foundation

The launch comes as concerns increase over Ethereum’s long-term development funding. Former Ethereum Foundation contributor Trenton Van Epps recently warned of a potential funding crisis, while former co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang stepped down last week amid a broader wave of departures from the Foundation.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin previously noted that the Foundation controls only about 0.16% of Ether’s total supply, highlighting limits on its resources. Ethereum educator David Hoffman said the Foundation is leaving room for new organizations to help guide Ethereum’s future, describing Ethlabs as one of the most promising efforts to emerge from that transition.