YZi Labs, formerly known as Binance Labs, has announced the launch of a $1 billion Builder Fund aimed at supporting early-stage founders building within the BNB Chain ecosystem.
The initiative is designed to provide capital, infrastructure, and support to teams working across Web3, artificial intelligence (AI), and biotechnology.
Projects Will Receive Up to $500K Each
According to an October 8 statement, the fund will offer selected builders access to YZi Labs’ global network, which has over 460 million users. Participants will also get mentorship, developer tools, and integration support through the firm’s partnerships.
“BNB Ecosystem represents the next phase of digital infrastructure, where decentralization, on-chain scalability, converges with security and real distribution,” said Ella Zhang, Head of YZi Labs.
The Builder Fund will prioritize projects focused on decentralized finance (DeFi), real-world assets (RWA), decentralized science (DeSci), payments, and wallet infrastructure.
YZi Labs’ portfolio covers over 300 projects from over 25 countries across six continents. Notable ventures already backed by the company include PancakeSwap, ListaDAO, Aster, and Aspecta, along with institutional initiatives such as the BNB Digital Asset Treasury.
Starting in October 2025, the Most Valuable Builder (MVB) initiative, the network’s flagship accelerator, will join the EASY Residency, forming a specialized pathway for its developers. Together, they will offer up to $500,000 in capital per team and direct access to the firm’s core team.
BNB Chain Expands Residency Program Amid Record Growth
The development coincides with YZi Lab’s expansion of its EASY Residency program to new global hubs, including New York, San Francisco, Dubai, and Singapore. The initiative offers immersive product environments and aims to deepen builder engagement with BNB Chain infrastructure.
Over the past years, the company has organized global events in Seoul and Singapore, bringing together traditional institutions, major companies, and family offices with Web3 investors and partners to help grow BNB’s reach and use.
Elsewhere, BNB Chain has achieved major milestones, recording 26 million daily transactions. It now ranks first in DEX trading volume and daily active users. The network also recently surpassed its long-term rival Solana in active addresses for the first time since last year.
On October 7, BNB hit a new all-time high above $1,330, strengthening its position as the third-largest digital asset by market capitalization. The Maxwell Hardfork, implemented in May, further improved network performance by reducing block times to 0.75 seconds and lowering transaction fees to 0.05 Gwei.