Celestia Labs, the developer behind the modular Layer 1 blockchain Celestia, has acquired Sovereign Labs, a core contributor to its ecosystem. The deal, announced on July 15, 2026, brings Sovereign Labs' technology and team under Celestia Labs, enabling it to offer full-stack custom blockchain development for enterprises. Sovereign Labs co-founder Preston Evans has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer of Celestia Labs as part of the acquisition.
Acquisition Details and Team Expansion
Sovereign Labs, founded in 2021 by Cem Ozer and Preston Evans, has been a key part of the Celestia ecosystem. Its Sovereign SDK is now the leading framework for building application-specific, high-performance blockchains. The SDK powers Relay, the top bridge by volume with over $8.5 billion in transfers, and Bullet, a perpetual exchange that clears orders in 1.2 milliseconds and processes over 30,000 TPS. Six team members from Sovereign Labs are joining Celestia Labs, including Evans, who will now lead the company's engineering efforts.
Growing Demand for Custom Blockchains
The acquisition comes as more applications outgrow general-purpose blockchains. Hyperliquid, a leading decentralized exchange, built its own chain for low latency and custom order flow. Polymarket, which processed $6 billion in volume in the first half of 2025, is migrating to a custom chain to address congestion. Celestia Labs CEO Nick White noted that internet-scale applications—from agentic payments to global exchanges—require custom infrastructure that only an experienced team can provide. The combined expertise positions Celestia Labs as a full-stack partner for companies needing their own blockchains.
Track Record and Funding
Together, the Celestia Labs and Sovereign Labs teams have shipped over 25 production blockchains and built the industry's leading framework for high-performance chains. Celestia Labs has raised over $155 million from investors including Bain Capital Crypto and Coinbase Ventures. The Celestia Foundation, a non-profit led by CEO Mustafa Al-Bassam, supports the long-term development and governance of the Celestia network.