Which projects and companies are building on StarkNet and why do they choose it?
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Executive summary
StarkNet has attracted a fast-growing set of builders: the Foundation reports the ecosystem grew from 72 user‑facing projects in Nov 2023 to 193 by Nov 2024 — a 168% rise — with gaming, DeFi and BTC‑focused apps leading growth [1]. Builders point to ZK‑STARK security, high throughput and new Bitcoin and native USDC integrations as primary reasons to choose StarkNet [2] [3] [4].
1. What kinds of projects are on StarkNet — a snapshot of the landscape
The StarkNet Foundation’s mapping shows rapid diversification: gaming expanded from 4 to 51 projects in a year and became the largest category by 2024, while DeFi and “BTCFi” efforts have also surged as native stablecoin and cross‑chain tooling appear [1] [3]. Independent ecosphere listings and news outlets highlight major DEXs and BTC trading/liquidity protocols such as Extended, Avnu and Ekubo as notable DeFi actors on StarkNet [5] [3].
2. Notable companies and protocols building on StarkNet
Names repeatedly appear in ecosystem reporting and coverage: Ekubo (an AMM DEX), Extended and Avnu (BTC trading/liquidity focus) are singled out in reporting as leading protocols; the StarkNet blog and community directories list many more projects spanning games, wallets, infra and privacy efforts [5] [6] [7]. External platforms such as Messari and The Block report wider industry integrations — for example Circle’s native USDC and major interoperability work landing on StarkNet [8] [3] [4].
3. Why builders choose StarkNet — technical and market reasons
StarkNet sells three core advantages: STARK proof security that inherits Ethereum’s finality, high throughput and low L1 costs from validity rollup design, and flexible account abstraction for richer UX and smart accounts — all repeatedly emphasized in StarkNet materials and coverage [2] [9]. Performance upgrades — including S‑two prover and parallel execution/“Bolt” improvements — are cited by StarkWare and reporters as reducing latency and proof costs, which matters for games and high‑frequency DeFi [10] [11] [12].
4. The Bitcoin narrative and why it matters to builders
StarkNet’s pivot to “Bitcoin DeFi” is a clear magnet: the roadmap and press describe a campaign to make StarkNet an execution layer bridging Ethereum programmability with Bitcoin’s liquidity, plus BTC staking and BTCFi primitives that let projects use BTC as collateral or yield source — an attractive new product set for builders and investors [13] [14] [12]. Coverage also notes institutional moves — e.g., Anchorage enabling Bitcoin staking — that increase on‑ramps for institutional builders and liquidity [15].
5. Interoperability, stablecoins and UX improvements drawing builders
A persistent historical critique was poor bridge coverage; 2025 reporting and Foundation updates say that has changed as major interoperability rails (LayerZero, Stargate, native USDC, CCTP V2) come online, simplifying liquidity, payments and game economies — practical reasons teams pick StarkNet now [10] [7] [4]. RosettaNet/Cartridge efforts and EVM wallet compatibility are also noted as developer/UX wins [16].
6. Governance, staking and decentralization — incentives for long‑term builders
Staking and decentralization are central to StarkNet’s pitch: staking v1 launched Nov 2024 and had >170 million STRK staked by May 2025 across 63,000 delegators and 106 validators; the roadmap ties later staking phases to block attestation and validation to build economic security — a governance/stability signal for teams betting long term [17]. The Foundation’s creation and decentralization roadmap are positioned as ecosystem support for builders [18] [17].
7. Conflicts, outages and limitations builders weigh
Reporting does not ignore risks: a Grinta upgrade in 2025 led to an outage that required two chain reorganizations, an episode covered in StarkNet news archives and independent outlets — a reminder builders weigh production stability and recent operational incidents [19]. Sources also show constant protocol change (sequencer/prover migrations) that teams must track — both an improvement path and a short‑term operational cost [17] [11].
8. Competing viewpoints and hidden agendas
StarkNet’s own reports emphasize growth metrics, decentralization progress and Bitcoin strategy [1] [17] [13]. Independent reporters highlight the same tech wins but also flag outages, reorgs and the need for more mature bridges — signaling that promotional materials and journalism converge on strengths but disagree on maturity and short‑term risk [19] [12]. The StarkNet Foundation and StarkWare have an implicit agenda to recruit builders and institutional liquidity; coverage from industry outlets tends to focus on pragmatic adoption signals such as native USDC and staking activations [15] [4].
Limitations: available sources list many project names and trends but do not provide a complete catalog of every company on StarkNet; for specific, up‑to‑date rosters consult the ecosystem directory or project blogs [6].