Ether.fi Ventures Backs Blockspace to Tackle Ethereum's Off-Protocol Infrastructure

Ether.fi Ventures has invested in Blockspace, a commercial entity aiming to improve and monetize Ethereum's off-protocol infrastructure. This investment focuses on the layer of infrastructure that handles over 90% of Ethereum's blockspace flow, including relays, builders, searchers, and order flow mechanics.

Blockspace is led by Drew Van der Werff, who has built connections with other influential Ethereum infrastructure teams. The company will monetize exclusively in ETH and has imposed a self-cap on its own stake at 15%, designed to prevent centralization creep.

This investment extends the logic of Ether.fi's previous deal with ETHGas, which created a futures market for Ethereum transactions by allowing validators and blockspace consumers to hedge future block inclusion costs. Blockspace aims to make the underlying infrastructure robust enough to support these instruments at scale.